<*^ymn 


iElii-3lVtflllLfXtft 


m^imi^^m 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH 


OP     THE 


ZULU     MISSION, 


IN     SOUTH    AFRICA, 


BY 


REV.    WILLIAM    IRELAND 


AS     ALSO     OF    THE 


GABOON    MISSION, 


IN    WESTERN    AFRICA. 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE 

AMERICAN  BOARD  OP  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS, 

33  PEMBERTON   SQUARE,  BOSTOX- 


SKETCH  OF  THE  ZULU  MISSION. 


-o-o>O^Oo- 


THE       FIELID, 

The  Zulu  *  Mission  of  the  American  Board  is  among  the  natives  who  inhabit 
the  British  colony  of  Natal,  which  lies  on  the  south-eastern  margin  of  Africa, 
from  800  to  1000  miles  beyond  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  between  the  28th 
and  31st  parallels  of  south  latitude,  and  between  the  28th  and  31st  meridians 
of  east  longitude.  It  has  a  seaboard  upon  the  Indian  Ocean  of  about  160 
miles,  and  extends  inland  from  150  to  250  miles,  containing  an  area  of  about 
18,000  square  miles.  On  the  north-east,  and  separated  from  Natal  by  the 
Utugela  Kiver,  He  the  territories  of  Umpandi,  the  great  Zulu  chief.  This  is 
usually  called  the  "  Zulu  Country,"  to  distinguish  it  from  Natal ;  and  it  is 
from  this  region,  chiefly,  that  the  Zulus  of  the  colony  have  come.  On  the 
south-west  we  find  a  territory,  somewhat  larger  than  Natal,  inhabited  by  small 
tribes  of  the  widely-extended  Kafir  family,  of  which  the  most  important  and 
powerful  is  the  Amaponda  tribe,  under  an  old  and  peaceably-disposed  chief, 
named  Ufaku.  Thence,  looking  westward,  lie  British  Kafraria  and  the  Brit- 
ish colony  of  the  Cape,  comprising  a  territory  some  GOO  miles  in  length  by 
about  300  in  width,  and  embracing  a  European  population  of  from  two  to 
threfe  hundred  thousand,  besides  an  indefinite  number  of  native  tribes. 

The  inland  boundary  of  Natal  is  a  lofty  and  precipitous  range  of  mountains, 
called  by  the  natives  Kahlamba.  They  have  an  elevation  of  f^ome  GOOO  feet 
above  the  ocean,  and  rise  some  2500  feet  from  the  plains  at  their  base. 
Towards  the  summit,  they  present  a  perpendicular  face  of  bare  rock  for  sev- 
eral hundred  feet ;  and  their  general  appearance  is  that  of  a  stupendous  Avail, 
built  by  nature  for  the  purpose  of  shutting  in  Natal  from  the  interminable 
regions  which  lie  beyond.  At  the  immediate  foot  of  these  mountains,  the 
country  has  an  elevation  of  some  3500  feet  above  the  sea.  Thence  to  the 
Indian  Ocean,  the  descent  is  made  by  three  successive  steps  or  terraces,  the 

*  In  this  essay,  the  vowols  iu  all  names  of  persons  and  places  of  Zulu  ori;;ia  have  th« 
following  value,  viz. :  — 

«  =  a  in  the  F.ng-lish  word  father. 
e  t=  !i        '•  "  lati". 

i  =  i        "  "  ravine, 

o  =  o        "  "  note. 

u^oo     "  '•  boot,  or  pool. 

(Ihl  and  Id  have  no  equivalents  iu  English. 
hi  =  11  in  Welsh. 


I8;23i?i 


4  THE   ZULU   MISSION. 

highest  of  which  lies  fifty  miles  back  from  the  coast.  The  next  or  interme- 
diate terrace  has  an  average  breadth  of  about  twenty  miles,  and  an  average 
height  of  about  2000  feet.  The  last  or  lowermost  of  these  terraces  is  fifteen 
miles  wide,  and  800  feet  high.  Continuing  our  journey  from  the  interior 
towards  the  sea,  we  come  to  a  region  of  luxuriant  foliage,  some  fifteen  miles 
broad,  and  skirting  the  Indian  Ocean  the  entire  length  of  the  colony.  This 
constitutes  the  coast  district,  and  in  it  most  of  the  American  missionaries 
are  located. 

The  shore  line  of  Natal,  with  a  single  exception,  is  unbroken.  The  sea 
makes  its  only  encroachment  at  the  Bay  of  Port  Natal,  and  the  land  makes  its 
only  encroachment  in  the  bold  promontory,  nearly  300  feet  high,  which  forms 
the  outer  margin  of  the  bay,  and  which  shuts  in  a  spacious  land-locked  harbor, 
the  prospective  importance  of  which  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  it  is  the  only 
harbor  for  more  than  500  miles  in  South-eastern  Africa.  There  are  numerous 
rivers  and  small  streams  in  Natal ;  and  this  fact,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
rapid  descent  of  the  country  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea,  leading  to  a  cor- 
responding movement  of  these  streams,  accounts  in  large  measure  for  the 
remarkable  salubrity  of  the  cUmate.  In  this  respect  Natal  is  highly  favored, 
especially  when  compared  with  countries  lying  in  the  same  latitude.  It  is 
thought  that  there  are  no  severe  diseases  peculiar  to  the  country ;  and  some 
who  have  gone  there  from  colder  climates,  have  gained  decidedly  in  health. 
The  rains  occur  chiefly  during  the  warmer  months  ;  and  the  winter  is  usually 
a  protracted  period  of  dryness  and  sunshine.  The  average  mean  temperature 
of  summer  has  been  put  down  by  scientific  observers  at  about  74°  Fahr.,  and 
that  of  winter  at  64°. 

It  has  already  been  remarked  that  the  field  of  the  American  Mission  lies 
mostly  within  the  coast  division  of  Natal,  only  three  of  its  twelve  stations 
being  more  than  fifteen  miles  from  the  sea.  They  extend,  however,  through 
the  entire  lengtli  of  this  division,  and  ai-e  conveniently  situated  with  reference 
to  some  40,000  natives.  This  district  approaches  more  nearly  to  a  tropical 
country,  in  regard  to  its  climate  and  vegetable  productions,  than  any  oth§r  in 
the  colony.  Most  of  the  tropical  plants  which  have  been  introduced  from 
abroad,  are  grown  upon  these  coast  lands.  Thousands  of  acres  have  already 
been  devoted  to  the  sugar-cane  ;  and  a  few  years  ago  some  300  tons  of  arrow- 
root were  exported  in  a  single  season.  Coftee  is  extensively  cultivated,  and 
cotton  is  every  year  receiving  a  larger  share  of  attention,  both  from  the  white 
settlers  and  the  natives.  Oranges,  lemons,  limes,  bananas,  pineapples,  and 
even  peaches,  are  common,  and  form  a  good  substitute  for  the  fruits  of  higher 
latitudes.  There  is,  moreover,  a  novelty  in  the  general  appearance  of  the  vege- 
tation, which  soon  attracts  the  attention  of  the  newlj--arrived  missionary.  A 
prominent  feature  of  the  landscape  is  the  grotesquely-formed  euphorbia  tree, 
which  resembles  a  huge  cactus,  grown  to  the  height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet. 
Another  tree,  which  is  peculiar  to  the  country,  and  adds  much  to  the  beauty 
of  the  scenery,  is  a  species  of  wild  fig  tree,  a  large  evergreen,  with  broad- 
spreading  branches.  It  is  sometimes  termed  the  Natal  banyan.  Many  of  the 
trees  in  this  part  of  the  country  are  at  times  covered  with  clusters  of  brightly- 
colored  blossoms  ;  and  the  groves,  jungles,  and  forests  are  nearly  as  green  in, 
winter  as  in  midsummer. 


THE   PEOPLE. 


TI3:E     I^EOI^LE. 


THEIR  PHYSICAL   CHARACTERISTICS. 


A  few  years  ago,  a  physician  residing  in  Natal  published  a  newspaper  arti- 
cle, entitled  "  The  Kafirs  and  Us"  which  opened  with  the  following  somewhat 
amusing  chemical  analysis  and  comparison :  "  Kafirs  have  less  lime  in  their 
bones,  less  nitrogen  in  their  muscles,  probably  less  iron  in  their  blood,  less 
silica  in  their  hair,  and  less  phosphorus  in  their  brains,  than  we  have.  Atten- 
tive observers  may  likewise  notice  a  considerable  difference  in  the  color  of  our 
respective  skins."  Whether  the  chemistrrj  of  this  description  is  correct  or 
not,  the  learned  will  determine.  But  there  is  no  disputing  the  last  statement. 
The  Zulus  have  black  skins  and  woolly  hair,  and  yet  they  have  much  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  the  negro  of  Western  Africa.  Though  some  of  them 
have  thick,  protruding  lips,  and  flat  noses,  these  peculiarities  are  seldom  as 
marked  as  in  the  real  negro.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  unusual  to  meet 
with  the  aquiline  nose,  straight  lip,  and  square,  prominent  forehead  of  the 
European.  Many  of  the  men  are  tall,  finely  shaped,  and  exhibit  much  intelli- 
gence. Indeed,  their  rounded  limbs  and  expansive  chests  seem  the  very 
embodiment  of  healthy  muscular  development.  The  general  aspect  of  the 
face  is  open,  gentle,  and  amiable ;  and  the  eye,  usually  black,  has  a  soft 
expression,  and  often  sparkles  with  merry  humor. 

ETHNOLOGY. 

It  is  supposed  that  several  hundred  years  ago  the  entire  Kafir  family,  of 
which  the  Zulu  is  but  a  branch,  came  from  some  locality  much  higher  up  the 
eastern  coast  of  Africa  ;  and  it  would  probably  be  considered  by  ethnologists 
as  allied  to  the  Galla  branch  of  the  Ethiopic  race.  The  following  highly  in- 
teresting and  suggestive  remarks,  on  this  general  subject,  are  from  the  pen  of 
Dr.  Mann,  a  distinguished  scientific  gentleman  living  in  Natal :  "  There  is 
one  peculiarity  Avhich  at  once  distinguishes  the  Kafir  race  from  the  negro  vari- 
ety of  dark-skinned  Africans  —  the  limbs  are  singularly  small-boned  and  slen- 
der. In  young  individuals,  and  especially  among  the  boys,  the  tapering, 
delicate  arms  and  hands,  and  the  slim  legs  and  slight  feet,  are  very  remark- 
able, and  catch  the  attention  of  even  the  most  careless  observer.  The  Kafir 
organization  obviously  vibratos  between  that  of  the  negro  and  that  of  a  nobler 
type.  The  pastoral  and  nomadic  propensities,  and  the  ingrained  impatience, 
of  these  slim-limbed,  agile,  and  woolly-headed  tribes,  taken  in  connection  with 
the  fact  that  they  seem  to  have  come  originally  along  the  eastern  coast  of 
Africa  from  the  north,  point  toward  the  possibility  that  the  same  law  which 
has  been  made  influential  in  the  evolution  of  the  higlily-endowed  Anglo-Saxon 
race,  through  the  admixture  of  bloods,  may  also  have  had  to  do  with  the  pro- 
duction of  the  Kafir  dcvelojiment,  and  that  the  remarkable  combination  of 
qualities  by  which  that  development  is  marked,  may  be  attributed  jjartly  to  an 
Arab  and  partly  to  a  negro  source.  There  are  certain  ceremonies  and  words 
in  use  among  the  Kafirs  which  also  point  to  a  similar  conclusion,  on  account 


b  THE    ZULU*    MISSION. 

of  the  affinities  Avhich  they  present  Avith  doings  and  language  encountered 
among  the  Arabs.  The  word  which  has  become  sanctioned  by  custom,  as  the 
general  denomination  of  these  tribes  of  the  south-eastern  coast,  also  carries  with 
it  a  certain  amount  of  force  as  additional  evidence.  '  Kafir  '  means,  literally, 
an  unbeliever  in  the  doctrines  of  Mohammed,  and  is  a  term  of  constant  occur- 
rence with  the  Arabs." 

THE    NATIVE     COSTUME. 

The  dress  of  the  men,  in  their  wild,  native  state,  consists  ordinarily  of  a 
very  scanty  covering  about  the  loins,  composed  of  strips  cut  from  the  skins  of 
sheep,  goats,  wildcats,  monkeys,  or  other  fur-coated  animals.  On  special 
occasions,  moreover,  they  wear  a  profusion  of  ornaments,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  a  neck-collar  composed  of  the  teeth  of  a  lion  or  wild  boar,  or 
the  claws  of  a  lion  or  an  eagle.  Necklaces  are  also  made  of  small  antelope 
horns,  or  fragments  of  a  particular  kind  of  root,  or  even  of  the  vertebra?  of 
snakes.  They  have  brass  ornaments,  consisting  of  armlets,  bracelets,  and 
rings  for  both  fingers  and  thumbs.  The  young  men  and  women  are  fond  of 
bead  ornaments.  They  not  only  wear  bead  necklaces,  but  broad  neck-collars 
of  the  same  material,  elaborately  and  tastefully  worked  in  gay  colors.  They 
are  fond  of  suspending  from  the  neok  square  pieces  of  bead  work,  wrought  in 
smaller  squares,  or  circles,  or  crescents,  of  different-colored  beads.  Their  ears 
are  always  pierced  with  wide  gashes ;  and  these,  too,  are  frequently  orna- 
mented, sometimes  Mith  pendants,  and  sometimes  with  ivory  or  wooden  balls. 
Their  ornamented  reed  snuff-boxes  are  usually  carried  in  the  ear.  They  wear 
long  strings  of  beads,  of  various  colors,  over  one  shoulder  and  across  the 
breast  and  back,  as  also  girdles  or  ornaments  for  the  loins,  of  bright-colored 
beads  as  large  as  marbles.  Rich-looking  dresses  for  the  men  are  made  out  of 
the  bushy  part  of  very  large,  flowing  ox-tails,  or  of  the  long,  shaggy  hair  of 
goats.  The  every-day  costume  of  the  married  women  is  a  dressed,  well- 
greased  cow-skin,  or  a  cotton  blanket  doubled  so  as  to  reach  from  the  waist 
below  the  knees.  The  young  girls  and  unmarried  women  wear  a  sort  of 
fringed  apron,  about  a  foot  broad.  Sometimes  they  have  a  slight  additional 
covering  for  the  upper  part  of  the  body ;  but  they  are  oftener  seen  without 
anything.  The  married  men  generally  shave  their  heads,  leaving  only  a  cir- 
cular strip  of  hair,  which  is  made,  with  the  aid  of  a  kind  of  gum,  into  a  pol- 
ished ring,  as  black  and  glossy  as  ebony.  The  married  women  also  shave  their 
heads,  leaving  only  a  small  tuft  at  the  crown,  and  this  is  worked  up  with  a 
kind  of  red  clay  into  a  sort  of  top-knot.  The  unmarried  people  of  both  sexes 
usually  allow  their  hair  to  grow  long,  and  sometimes  they  dress  it  with  a 
gummy,  fatty  preparation,  giving  it  all  sorts  of  fantastic  .shapes. 

DWELLINGS,   FURNITURE,   AND   EMPLOYMENTS. 

In  building  a  native  village  or  kranl,  a  large,  round  cattle-fold  is  first  made, 
and  inclosed  by  a  strong  fence  of  poles  or  brush-wood.  The  dwellings,  or 
huts,  which  are  also  round,  are  then  placed  in  a  circular  form  around  this  cat- 
tle-fold.    Then  another  strong  fence  is  made  around  the  hutu,  inclosing  the 


POLYGAMY.  7 

whole,  and  having  but  one  opening,  which  is  on  the  same  side  with  that  of  the 
central  inclosure.  The  general  appearance  of  the  huts  is  that  of  an  enor- 
mous old-fashioned  EngHsh  bee-hive,  though  somewhat  flatter  in  shape;  oe 
they  may  be  compared  to  low,  hollow  haystacks.  They  are  from  ten  to  twelve 
feet  in  diameter,  and  from  five  to  six  feet  high  in  the  centre.  The  entrance  is 
not  more  than  two  feet  high,  and  is  oval  in  shape,  being  about  two  feet  broad 
at  the  bottom.  As  there  is  no  other  opening,  it  serves  the  threefold  purpose 
of  door,  A^ndow,  and  chimney.  In  constructing  a  hut,  a  framework  is  fii'st 
made  of  long,  flexible  rods  or  poles,  the  thicker  ends  being  inserted  in  the 
ground,  four  or  five  inches  apart,  while  the  other  ends  are  fastened  to  a  post 
in  the  centre,  or  to  a  horizontal  pole  some  five  feet  in  length,  which  in  its  turn 
rests  upon  two  posts  in  the  central  portion  of  the  hut.  Other  small  rods  are 
placed  transversely,  four  or  five  inches  apai't,  and  tied  together  at  all  the  points 
of  intersection,  leaving  only  small  square  openings.  Upon  this  framework  a 
thick  coating  of  grass  is  laid  and  thatched.  The  floor  is  made  beautifully  hard 
with  a  species  of  pot-clay,  or  oftener,  perhaps,  with  earth  taken  from  the  nests 
of  white  ants,  mixed  with  cow-dung.  Their  furniture  is  of  the  rudest  and 
simplest  kind,  consisting  of  a  few  earthen  pots,  a  few  mats,  blankets,  wooden 
pillows,  and,  perhaps,  a  few  sticks,  shields,  and  spears.  The  earthen  pots  are 
for  cooking  purposes,  or  for  bringing  water,  or  for  holding  grain  and  beer. 
They  have  neither  tables  nor  chairs.  They  sit  upon  the  floor  in  a  squatting 
posture,  and  their  food  is  served  on  a  small,  square  mat,  which  rests  upon  the 
floor.  The  mats,  blankets,  and  wooden  pillows  constitute  then-  sleeping 
accommodations. 

The  usual  employments  of  the  men  consist  in  milking  and  otherAvise  taking 
care  of  their  cattle,  in  building  their  huts,  in  clearing  and  fencing  ground  for 
their  gardens,  and  in  preparing  garments  (such  as  have  already  been  described) 
for  themselves  and  their  Avives.  Such  occupation  they  regard  as  sufliciently  in 
keeping  with  their  rank  and  dignity  as  men.  But  they  spend  much  of  their 
time  in  hunting,  in  beer-drinking,  in  smoking,  in  snufiing,  and  in  downright 
idleness.  All  descriptions  of  menial  worlc,  as  bearing  burdens,  digging,  hoe- 
ing, planting,  reaping,  grinding,  cooking,  procuring  and  cutting  all  the  wood, 
bringing  all  the  water  for  family  use,  arc  held  to  be  the  appropriate  employ- 
ments and  accomplishments  of  the  women. 

Their  food  consists  chiefly  of  Indian  corn,  Ivafir  corn,  (a  species  of  millet, 
called  by  the  natives  amahele,)  and  milk  ;  and  they  use  beef,  venison,  and  beer, 
when  they  can  get  them.  At  their  native  kraals,  they  usually  eat  but  twice  a 
day,  the  principal  meal  being  in  the  evening.  They  are  capable  of  consuming 
enormous  quantities,  and  not  unfrcqucntly  they  gorge  themselves  to  the  last 
degree.  This  is  especially  true  when  they  happen  to  have  an  abundance  of 
fresh  meat. 

rOLVC.VMY. 

Prominent  among  their  customs  is  pohjgamii,  the  only  limit  to  the  number 
of  wives  being  the  disposition  and  ability  of  the  husband  to  purchase  and  pay 
for  them.  As  in  most  countries  where  this  practice  prevails,  the  family  rela- 
tion is  in  ruins,  and  the  sacred  institution  of  marriage  is  prostituted  to  the 
basest  purposes.     The  wife  is  only  one  of  a  number  of  slaves,  and  as  such  is 


8  THE   ZULU   MISSION. 

often  treated  with  the  greatest  indignity  and  dishonor.  Closely  connected 
with  this  custom  is  another,  which  is  at  once  its  root  and  its  stimulus  —  the 
chattelizing  of  woman.  The  father,  as  he  looks  upon  his  daughters,  thinks 
of  them  chiejiy,  and  prizes  tliem  mainly,  in  reference  to  their  marketable 
value,  this  being  apparently  the  gauge  and  measure  of  his  affection  arid 
regard.  They  are  Avorth  to  him  so  many  head  of  cattle.  With  the  price  which 
he  receives  for  his  daughters,  he  expects  to  purchase  other  wives ;  so  that  a 
man's  social  standing  depends  largely  upon  his  Avealth  in  women.  When  a 
girl  becomes  marriageable,  therefore,  the  highest  bidder  is  generally  regarded 
as  the  most  eligible  suitor,  —  no  matter  how  many  wives  he  may  have  already, 
no  matter  what  may  be  her  feelings  toward  the  husband  selected  for  her. 
FoiTed  marriages  are  of  common  occurrence,  and  they  are  the  fruitful  source 
of  cruelty,  unhappiness,  and  crime.  It  sometimes  happens,  however,  that 
marriage  takes  place  with  the  full  consent  of  the  female,  especially  if  the  age 
of  the  intended  husband  is  at  all  proportionate  to  her  own. 

A   HEATHEN   WEDDING. 

The  following  account  of  a  Zulu  wedding  was  written  by  one  of  the  first 
white  settlers  in  Natal,  who,  for  several  years  before  his  death,  occupied  the 
post  of  English  magistrate.  He  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  native 
customs,  having  mingled  familiai'ly  with  them  at  their  kraals  for  nearly 
twenty  years,  before  Natal  became  a  British  colony. 

"  The  bride,  attended  by  all  the  young  women  in  the  neighborhood,  pro- 
ceeds to  the  kraal  of  the  bridegroom.  She  is  also  escorted  by  her  male  rel- 
atives and  friends,  bearing  their  assegais  and  shields,  thus  intimating  that  they 
are  prepared  to  drive  home  the  cattle  to  be  received  for  her.  When  the  par- 
ties can  afford  it,  three  head  of  cattle  are  presented  by  the  father  of  the  bride 
to  the  bridegroom  —  one  in  lieu  of  the  copper  ring  usually  worn  by  the  bride 
in  former  times  ;  another  to  be  presented  to  the  ancestral  spirit  of  the  bride- 
groom, for  his  consent  to  the  marriage ;  and  a  third  to  replace,  or  reproduce, 
the  cattle  paid  by  the  bridegroom.  The  bride  is  also  provided  with  a  bundle 
of  assegais,  some  picks,  and  a  basket  of  beads  in  bunches.  She  is  also 
attended  by  her  mother  and  other  married  women.  The  ceremony  may  com- 
mence immediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  bride,  or  on  the  following  day,  as  may 
be  arranged.  When  it  commences,  the  bridegroom  and  his  companions  seat 
themselves  on  the  ground,  while  the  bride  and  her  attendants  approach  within 
a  short  distance,  dancing  in  a  semicircle.  The  young  men  connected  with  the 
bridegroom  soon  unite  in  the  dance.  The  old  women  who  are  related  to  the 
latter,  dance  around  at  a  distance,  addressing  the  bride  in  songs  of  a  depress- 
ing nature,  that  she  may  not  feel  too  highly  elated,  or  assume  too  much  im- 
portance in  her  new  position.  On  the  other  hand,  the  old  women  who  accom- 
pany her,  boast  of  her  beauty  and  chastity,  extolling  her  goodness  of  heart,' 
and  proclaiming  how  carefully  she  has  been  reared  by  her  parents.  The  dance 
having  continued  for  some  time,  the  bride  leaves  her  position,  and  dances  by 
herself,  in  front  of  her  companions.  She  then  proceeds,  accompanied  by  two 
of  her  bridemaids,  toward  the  bridegroom,  who  is  surrounded  by  his  nearest 
relations,  and  dances  directly  in  front  of  him.     It  most  frequently  happens 


SUPERSTITIONS.  "  9 

that  the  bride  will  take  some  liberty  with  the  bridegroom,  just  at  this  time, 
such  as  addressing  him  by  some  opprobrious  epithet,  or  by  kicking  dust  in 
his  face,  thus  intimating  that  the  moment  of  her  submission  has  not  yet 
arrived.  Her  attendants  then  come  forward  with  the  beads,  picks,  and 
unshafted  assegais,  which  are  distributed  by  one  of  the  bridemaids  among 
the  relatives  of  the  bridegroom.  An  ox  is  then  slaughtered  by  the  bride- 
groom, and  the  feasting  commences.  This  appears  to  he  the  Jixing  point  oi 
the  ceremony.     A  cow  or  an   ox  is  then  given  for  slaughter  to  the  bride's 

mother  and  her  attendants This  animal  was  probably  a  sacrifice  to  the 

ancestral  spirit  of  the  family.  Although  dancing  and  other  amusements  may 
be  continued,  the  bridegi'oom  and  bride  may  from  that  moment  be  regarded  as 
man  and  wife ;  but  so  long  as  the  relations  of  the  bride  remain  at  the  bride- 
groom's kraal,  she  remains  with  them.  The  married  woman  is  not  designated 
a  '  wife  '  until  she  has  borne  a  child,  or  has  a  house  under  her  charge.  Until 
then  she  is  called  umloholMzi,  implying  that  the  cattle  paid  for  her  have  not, 
as  yet,  all  been  delivered  to  her  father.  The  marriage  ceremony  being  con- 
cluded, the  male  friends  of  the  bride  make  their  demand  for  cattle,  but  not  for 
any  particular  number,  this  matter  having  been  previously  arranged.  The  ties 
of  consanguinity  concerning  marriages  are  very  strictly  observed.  A  man 
can  not  enter  into  the  matrimonial  state  with  one  of  his  relations  by  blood." 

SUPERSTITIONS. 

The  Zulus  have  much  to  say  about  omens.  With  them,  for  instance,  it  is  a 
bad  omen  for  a  rock  rabbit  to  run  into  a  kraal ; '  or  for  a  dog  to  get  on  the  top 
of  a  hut ;  or  for  certain  birds  to  light  thereon  ;  or  for  a  cock  to  crow  in  the 
evening ;  or  for  toads  to  jump  into  the  fireplace.  Their  minds  are  so  dwarfed 
by  degradation  and  ignorance,  and  so  darkened  by  ages  of  sensuality  and  sin, 
that  they  receive  with  greediness  the  most  absurd  ideas,  without  stopping  to 
exercise  either  their  reason  or  common  sense.  A  missionary  who  has  paid 
some  attention  to  this  subject,  has  collected  the  following  illustrations  of  this 
statement :  — 

If  the  corn  growing  in  their  fields  has  not  a  green,  healthy  color,  the 
Zulus  seek  for  some  dark  medicine,  perhaps  the  blackest  root  and  bark  which 
they  can  find,  and  burn  it  to  make  it  still  blacker,  and  then  convert  it  into  a 
powder ;  after  which  the  blackest  man  in  the  community  is  importuned  to  take 
it  and  cast  it  into  the  air,  that  the  Mind  may  blow  it  over  the  field !  They 
believe  that  gardens  containing  certain  kinds  of  food  must  not  be  entered  by 
men,  as  their  footsteps  will  cause  a  failiu-e  of  the  crop  !  A  mother  who  has 
lost  her  child,  must  not  enter  her  garden  for  a  certain  number  of  days,  for, 
being  impure,  her  presence  will  occasion  blight.  If  people  go  into  their  gar- 
dens the  day  after  a  hail-storm,  it  is  believed  that  the  hail  will  return  and 
destroy  the  crop.  Fowls  must  not  be  carried  to  market  while  the  corn  is  tas- 
seling  out  and  approaching  maturity,  lest  the  flapping  of  their  wings  cause  it 
to  wither  and  dry  up.  Their  stipcrstitious  fears  will  not  allow  them  to  plant 
any  of  tlic  productions  which  have  been  introduced  by  M'liite  people,  (as  the 
banana,  sugar-cane,  sweet  potato,)  lest  it  bring  some  calamity  upon  them. 
They  are  fond  of  sweet  potatoes,  and  will  often  give  two  or  tluee  times  their 
2 


10  THE    ZULU    MISSION. 

value  in  corn ;  but  they  fear  to  plant  them.  There  are  times  when  women 
must  not  eat  milk,  lest  it  cause  the  calves  to  die.  Some  kinds  of  birds  and 
snakes  they  will  by  no  means  venture  to  destroy.  They  believe  that  certain 
medicines  have  power  to  influence  the  disposition  and  atfect  the  will;  when, 
therefore,  a  dispute  arises  between  two  ]iersons  making  a  bargain,  or  a  lover 
is  thwarted  in  reference  to  the  object  of  his  aflections,  certain  supposed  reme- 
dies are  often  used  to  overcome  opposition.  In  a  word,  superstition  is  inter- 
woven v.ith  their  whole  existence.  Ceremonies  are  performed  over  the  babe 
the  day  it  is  born ;  (its  head  must  be  smoked  before  it  can  be  seen  by  its 
father  ;)  they  are  all  their  lives  "  in  bondage  through  fear  of  death,"  and 
seem  continually  haunted  with  the  idea  that  some  one  in  the  community  is 
plotting  their  destruction.  According  to  their  belief,  indeed,  comparatively 
few  die  from  natural  causes,  most  of  the  deaths  being  attributed  to  witchcraft, 
of  which  some  account  will  now  be  given. 

AVITCIICRAFT.        i 

According  to  the  popular  belief,  a  wholesale  system  of  poisoning  is  carried 
on  by  a  class  of  persons  termed  ahatcujati,  (wizards  or  witches,)  who,  in  the 
minds  of  the  people,  possess  vague,  mysterious,  and  terrible  functions.     In  the 
Zulu  country,  (according  to  Dr.  Mann,)  where  they  are  not  overawed  by  the  pres- 
ence of  a  civilized  government,  it  is  believed  that,  immediately  after  the  decease 
of  a  native,  these  abatagati  hunt  for  the  body,  for  the  purpose  of  employing  it 
about  some  demoniac  icorlc,  and  that  they  use  leopards  and  wildcats  to  assist  in 
the  search.     According  to  this  silly  superstition,  when  a  body  is  discovered,  it 
is  immediately  "  physicked,"  until  it  is  restored  to  life  !    "  If  the  wizard  is  caught 
in  the  act  of  restoration,"  adds  Dr.  Mann,  "  and  interrupted  in  the  work,  the 
half-restored  individual  returns  to  life  as  a  half-witted,  stupid  being  ;  but,  if 
the  restoration  has  been  complete,  and  the  tongue  has  been  properly  cut,  it 
becomes  at  once  an  umhovu,  (spectre  or  hobgoblin.)  and  is  sent  to  join  the 
umkovu  band,  until  the  wizard  to  whom  it  is  indebted  for  its  renewed  exist- 
ence,  shall   need    it  for  "  goblin    employment."     Under  the  direction   of  the 
umtagati*  or  wizard,  the  umkovu  goes  in  the  dead  of  night  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  some  native  village,  and  utters  in  a  distinct,  yet  low,  gruff,  unnatural 
voice,  the  ominous  sound,  Maye  !  maye  ! !  (Woe !  woe  ! ! )    The  maye  is  thought 
to  be  the  death-doom  of  some  one  ;  and  when  it  is  heard,  the  inhabitants  of 
the  village  remain  terror-struck  and  motionless.     Wild  animals  are  supposed 
to  be  sent   by  these  wizards   on  their   mischievous   and   malicious   errands. 
Should  a  leopard,  for  example,  come  at  night,  and  take  from  the  fold  of  some 
credulous  native  a  calf  or  a  goat,  he  would  be  very  likely  to  lay  his  misfortune 
at  the  door  of  witchcraft.     The  dreadful  power  of  these  wizards,  it  is  supposed, 
is  also  exerted  in  other  ways.     For  instance,  one  of  our  missionaries  speaks 
of  a  man  who  was  wounded  in  a  general  hunt  by  a  spear,  which  severed  an 
artery,  and  adds  that  this  accident  was  attributed  to   the  influence  of  some 
wizard.     The  same  missionary  speaks  of  another  man,  who,  going  through  a 
dense  bush,  had  his  face  severely  scratched ;  and  this  was  attributed  to  the 

»  Umtagati  is  singular ;  abatagati  is  plural. 


OBJECTS    OP   WORSHIP.  -  11 

same  cause.  So,  oftentimes,  cases  of  death,  occurring  from  natural  causes,  or 
from  accident,  are  traced  to  the  supposed  power  of  this  dreaded  class  of  men. 
No  one,  of  course,  openly  avows  himself  an  umtagati,  but  practices  his  black 
art  with  all  the  secrecy,  and  with  as  much  disguise,  as  possible.  There  is 
abundant  evidence,  in  the  judgment  of  some,  that  many  of  the  natives  have 
an  extensive  acquaintance  with  plants  possessing  poisonous  properties,  some 
of  which  are  entirely  unknown  to  Europeans,  and  that  this  knowledge  is 
extensively  used  for  base  and  malicious  purposes,  even  though  it  be  admitted 
that  much  of  the  fear  attending  this  subject  is  palpably  absurd. 

WITCH-DOCTORS. 

The  supposed  existence  of  the  dangerous  class  of  individuals  above  described 
has  given  rise  to  another  powerful  and  influential  class,  of  the  sacei-dotal  order, 
called  Izanusi,  (witch  doctors.)  They  are  supposed  to  understand  the  art  of 
detecting  these  abatagati.  And  it  is  thought  that,  in  these  detective  opera- 
tions, they  display  an  extraordinary  amount  of  discernment,  and,  above  all, 
that  they  have  intercourse  Avith  the  spiritual  world,  and  so  are  unerringly 
guided,  when  they  proceed  to  pass  judgment  upon  the  evil-doers.  It  is  not 
every  one  who  can  aspire  to  tlie  office.  They  must  not  only  possess  an  especial 
adaptation  for  the  profession,  and  be  willing  to  devote  themselves  wholly  to  it, 
but  must  be  especially  designated  to  it  by  the  ancestral  spirits  of  the  families 
to  which  such  aspirants  respectively  belong.  "  The  first  indications,"  says  a 
writer  already  quoted,  "  which  mark  one  as  being  intended,  by  his  ancestral 
spirit,  as  the  future  agent  between  the  spiritual  and  material  world,  are  these : 
The  individual  is  observed  to  exclude  himself  or  herself  from  their  accustomed 
society,  to  be  low-spirited,  to  be  subject  to  severe  and  sudden  fits,  to  dread  the 
sight  of  blood,"  &c.  In  some  of  their  paroxysms,  they  run,  and  shriek,  and 
plunge  themselves  into  water,  and  by  other  wild  and  wonderful  performances 
seek  to  inspire  the  lookers-on  with  terror  and  awe.  The  Isanusi  is  held  in 
especial  veneration  during  his  supposed  intercourse  with  the  ancestral  spirit. 
Indeed,  he  is  always  both  respected  and  feared,  from  the  power  over  life  and 
death  which  he  is  known  to  possess  ;  for  in  that  part  of  the  country  which  is 
under  native  rule,  those  whom  he  points  out  as  criminals,  are  certain  to  be 
summarily  and  severely  punished.  And,  in  numerous  instances,  the  punish- 
ment has  been  death  in  its  most  revolting  forms.  Competent  witnesses,  who 
have  had  ample  oj)portunity  for  observation,  ai'c  of  the  o])inion  that  many  who 
are  thus  accused  are  verily  guilty,  and  tliat  these  witch-doctors  do  often  dis- 
play an  extraordinary  degree  of  penetration  in  the  detection  of  evil-doers.  In 
this,  however,  they  doubtless  have  more  credit  than  Ihey  deserve,  since  much 
of  their  success  is  obviously  traceable  to  an  extensive  system  of  espionage. 
Every  Isanusi  has  an  assistant  whom  he  employs  to  obtain  information,  secretly, 
regarding  persons  who  may  be  suspected  of  evil  practices. 

OBJFX'TS    OI-   WOKSIIIP. 

So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  the  ancestral  s])irits  (amadhlozi)  are 
the  only  objects  of  spiritual  and  religious  worchip  among  the  Zulus.     Their 


12  THE   ZULU   MISSION. 

superstitious  veneration  for  the  witch-doctors  (Izanusi)  arises  chiefly  from  the 
fact  that  they  are  looked  upon  as  a  priestly  class,  the  medium  of  communica- 
tion between  the  spiiitual  and  material  worlds,  the  ministers  and  prophets  —  so 
to  speak — of  the  amadhlozi.  The  popular  belief  is,  that  these  amadhlozi  visit 
their  kraals  and  houses,  inhabiting  for  the  occasion  the  body  of  a  snake.  It 
is  thought  that  this  occurs  when  some  one  has  omitted  the  performance  of  some 
known  duty,  or  has  been  guilty  of  some  offense.  The  visit  of  the  spirit  is 
intended  as  a  friendly  warning ;  and  if,  on  such  an  appearance,  a  propitiatory 
sacrifice  is  not  offered,  the  priests  affirm  that  sickness  or  death  will  surely 
follow.  When  a  family  is  in  possession  of  health  and  prosperity,  the  ances- 
tral spirit  is  said  to  be  lying  on  his  back  ;  but  when  misfortunes  come,  he  has 
turned  over  upon  his  face. 

UXKULUXKULU. 

While,  however,  these  amadhlozi  seem  to  be  the  only  objects  of  worship 
among  them,  they  recogi^ize  a  being  who  created  men  and  all  material  things, 
and  whom  they  call  Unkulunkulu,  (the  great,  great  one.)  But  whatever  may  have 
been  the  fiict  in  their  earlier  history,  this  truth  is  now  so  vague  and  obscure, 
that  it  is  deprived  of  all  practical  religious  value  ;  and  their  traditions  on  the 
whole  subject  are  exceedingly  confused  and  contradictory.  They  say  that  there 
was  a  great  being,  who  sprang  from  a  bed  of  reeds,  in  a  valley.  Some  accounts 
have  it,  that  he  shook  these  reeds  with  a  strong  wind,  and  there  came  out 
from  them  the  first  man  and  woman. 


Natal  was  first  made  known  to  the  civilized  world  in  1497,  (five  years  after 
Columbus  discovered  America,)  by  Vasco  de  Gama,  a  Portuguese  navigator. 
As  he  first  saw  it  on  Christmas  day,  the  countr^^  was  named  "Terra  de  Xatalis," 
the  Land  of  the  Nativity.  Although  thus  early  discovered,  no  attempt  was 
made  by  Europeans  to  colonize  it  till  1823.  In  that  year  Lieutenant  Farewell, 
an  officer  in-  the  British  navy,  went  to  Natal  with  a  small  band  of  English 
settlers  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  succeeded  in  getting  a  foothold  at 
the  port,  now  called  Durban.  At  this  time  the  great  Zulu  chief  Utyaka 
(Chaka)  was  at  the  height  of  his  power.  On  assuming  the  chieftainship,  he 
found  himself  at  the  head  of  a  small  and  comparatively  insignificant  people ; 
but  being  remarkably  intrepid  and  daring,  he  soon  conquered  tribe  after  tribe, 
taking  the  majority  of  the  people  captive,  and  incorporating  them  into  his  own 
tribe.  In  this  manner  he  greatly  increased  the  power  and  influence  of  the  Zulu 
nation ;  and  the  name  of  Utyaka  became  a  terror  to  all  the  natives  for  five  or 
six  hundred  miles  along  the  coast,  and  possibly  to  a  still  greater  distance  in 
the  interior. 

At  this  epoch  the  country  to  the  south  and  west  of  Zululand  proper, 
extending  some  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles  along  the  seaboard,  and  embra- 
cing nearly  the  whole  of  the  present  Natal  colony,  besides  a  large  portion  of 


EARLY   HISTORY    OF   NATAL.  13 

Faku's  country,  had  been  almost  entirely  laid  waste  and  depopulated.  One 
who  traveled  extensively  through  the  country,  as  the  pioneer  of  Farewell's 
colonizing  party,  has  left  this  testimony  :  "  There  were  no  cattle,  no  corn,  no 
kraals,  no  people,  save  about  thu-ty  natives  living  at  the  bluff,  [overlooking  the 
harbor  of  Port  Natal,]  and  a  few  stragglers  here  and  there,  Avho  Avere  nearly 
famished,  and  who  seemed  like  mere  human  skeletons."  So  completely  had 
this  African  Napoleon  desolated  the  land. 

In  1828,  Utyaka  was  assassinated  at  the  instigation  of  his  own  brothers,  one 
of  Avhom,  Udingane,  or  Dingan,  became  his  successor.  Natal  now  began  to 
be  sought  by  refugees,  who  escaped  from  the  despotic  rule  of  Dingan,  as 
opportunity  favored ;  his  vigilance,  or  his  police  arrangements,  being  probably 
less  perfect  than  those  of  his  dreaded  predecessor.  The  greater  portion  of 
those  who  fled  were  remnants  of  important  tribes,  which  may  have  occupied 
the  country  for  several  generations  before  the  inroads  of  Utyaka.  When  the 
first  missionaries  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions arrived  there  in  1835,  less  than  seven  years  after  Utyaka's  death,  from 
twenty  to  thirty  thousand  natives  were  living  in  the  country,  and  there  has 
been  a  steady  increase  from  that  time  to  the  present.  At  the  close  of  1862, 
the  native  population  was  more  than  two  hundred  thousand. 

Early  in  1838  there  was  a  large  influx  of  Dutch  farmers,  or  Boers,  as  they 
were  commonly  called,  who  had  become  disafiected  toward  the  British  govern- 
ment in  consequence  of  the  emancipation  of  their  slaves  in  Cape  Colony, 
which  took  place  in  1834,  simultaneously  Avith  the  deliverance  of  all  who  had 
been  held  in  bondage  in  various  portions  of  the  British  empire ;  and  they 
desired  and  designed  to  establish  a  slaveholding  republic  in  the  inviting 
region  around  Port  Natal.  On  their  arrival  they  entered  at  once  into  nego- 
tiations with  Dingan,  with  a  view  to  obtaining  his  consent  to  the  formation 
of  a  settlement.  A  large  deputation,  consisting  of  some  sixty  Boers,  and 
headed  by  Pieter  Retief,  went  to  his  capital,  were  received  with  apparent 
Mendliness,  and  had  reason  to  believe  that  their  mission  had  proved  successful ; 
but  just  as  they  were  about  leaving,  at  a  preconcerted  signal,  hundreds  of 
armed  warriors  fell  upon  them,  and  basely  murdered  the  whole  party.  Follow- 
ing close  upon  this  relentless  massacre,  there  Avas  a  series  of  disturbances, 
struggles,  and  conflicts,  first  between  Dingan  and  the  Dutch,  and  then  between 
the  Dutch  and  the  English,  and  thousands  were  slain  in  settling  the  question 
of  supremacy. 

At  length,  on  the  12th  day  of  May,  1843,  Natal  was  proclaimed  a  British 
colony,  and  a  gradual  immigration  from  Great  Britain  has  been  in  progress  for 
the  past  twenty  years.  At  present  the  European  population  exceeds  thirteen 
thousand,  of  whom,  perhaps,  two  thirds  are  from  the  British  Islands.  This 
foreign  immigration,  for  several  years,  has  been  going  on  at  the  rate  of  about 
one  thousand  per  annum,  and  the  colony  may  be  considered  as  now  fairly 
established.  The  local  government  has  ever  manifested  a  friendly  disposition 
toward  missionaries  ;  and  within  a  few  years  it  has  granted  to  the  Board,  at 
each  of  ten  stations,  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  to  be  used  for  missionary  pur- 
poses. It  has  also  set  apart  an  additional  tract,  of  from  six  to  nine  thousand 
acres,  around  each  of  these  stations,  which  is  reserved  for  the  use  of  such 
natives  as  may  settle  in  the  vicinity,  and  out  of  which,  from  time  to  time,  small 
farms  are  to  be  granted  to  the  co)iverts  and  their  families. 


14  THE    ZULU    MISSION. 


EAKLY   HISTORY. 

The  origin  of  this  mission  is  thus  stated  by  Dr.  Anderson,  in  the  Memorial 
Volume,  p.  240 :  "  The  mission  to  South  Africa  was  the  immediate  result  of 
strong  representations  from  Rev.  Dr.  Phihp,  of  Cape  ToAvn,  superintendent  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society's  missions  in  that  part  of  the  continent,  along 
with  a  desire  for  a  more  healthful  African  climate  than  was  to  be  found  in  the 
equatorial  regions."  Six  missionaries  and  their  wives  sailed  from  Boston  on 
the  3d  of  December,  1834,  and  arrived  at  Cape  Town  on  the  5th  of  February, 
1835.  Three  of  them,  Messrs.  Lindley,  Venable,  and  Dr.  Wilson,  were 
instructed  to  establish  a  mission  in  the  interior,  among  Moselekatsi's  people, 
^from  four  to  five  hundred  miles  from  Natal,  and  from  two  to  three  hundred 
miles  beyond  the  Kahlamba  Mountains.  The  others,  Messrs.  Grout,  Cham- 
pion, and  Dr.  Adams,  were  expected  to  prosecute  their  labors  among  the 
Zulus  under  Dingan. 

The  former  set  out  from  Cape  Town,  March  19,  on  a  journey  of  more  than 
one  thousand  miles,  in  three  large  ox-wagons,  each  wagon  (in  accordance  with 
the  universal  custom  of  the  country)  being  drawn  by  six  yoke  of  oxen.  After 
traveling  some  six  hundred  miles,  they  came  to  Griqua-Town,  a  station  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  occupied  by  two  estimable  bz'ethren,  Messrs. 
Wright  and  Hughes,  from  whom  they  received  a  cordial  welcome.  Here  they 
remained  a  number  of  weeks,  recruiting  their  oxen,  and  receiving  valuable  aid 
from  the  English  missionaries,  in  the  study  of  the  Sitebele  and  Sichuana  dia- 
lects, both  of  which  were  spoken  by  Moselekatsi's  people,  composed,  as  they 
were,  partly  of  the  Matebele  and  partly  of  the  Bechuana  tribes.  They  next 
proceeded  to  Kuruman,  another  station  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
where  the  well-known  missionary  Rev.  Robert  Moffat  showed  them  no  little 
kindness.  On  the  22d  of  January,  1836,  Messrs.  Lindley  and  Venable  went 
forward,  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  upon  a  site  for  a  station,  as  well  as  to  make 
the  necessary  preparations  for  the  residence  of  the  mission  families,  leaving 
theii"  wives,  together  Avith  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson,  at  Kuruman.  The  following 
June  we  find  the  missionary  band  at  a  station  in  the  vicinity  of  the  chief's 
residence,  which  they  named  Mosikri. 

The  maritime  mission,  in  consequence  of  a  war  which  was  raging  between 
the  Kafir  tribes  and  the  Cape  Colony,  was  detained  at  Cape  Town  until  July, 
1835.  They  then  went  around  by  sea  to  Port  Elizabeth.  At  this  point  and 
at  Bethelsdorp,  a  place  about  nine  miles  distant,  they  found  other  missionaries 
of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  by  whom  they  Avere  received  with  true 
Christian  hospitality.  It  was  not  until  early  in  December  that  they  met  with 
a  suitable  opportunity  for  proceeding  to  Port  Natal,  Leaving  their  wives  with 
their  kind  friends,  the  brethren  embarked  at  Algoa  Bay  on  the  5th  of  Decem- 
ber, and  reached  Natal  on  the  20th.  They  found  a  number  of  whites  at  Port 
Natal,  from  whom  they  received  valuable  assistance  in  preparing  for  their 
journey  to  Dingan's  capital.  They  had  brought  a  wagon  with  them  from  Port 
Elizabeth,  and  here  they  obtained  the  requisite  number  of  oxen.     In  a  few 


EARLY   HISTORY.  15 

days  they  had  everything  ready,  and  were  on  the  road  to  the  Zuhi  country. 
The  journey  occupied  two  weeks. 

They  were  received  by  Dingan  with  kindness,  and  treated  with  respect.  He 
consented  to  their  establishing  a  school  at  his  residence ;  but  he  wished  them 
to  make  Port  Natal  their  headquarters  until  he  could  see  the  effect  of  this 
school  upon  his  people.  On  their  return  thither,  it  was  arranged  that  Mr. 
Champion  should  remain,  and  commence  the  erection  of  one  or  more  dwellings 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  mission,  while  Messrs.  Grout  and  Adams  should 
proceed  to  Port  Elizabeth  for  their  families  and  effects. 

On  reaching  Bethelsdorp,  ]Mr.  Grout  found  Mrs.  Grout  rapidly  sinking  in 
consumption.  "  She  died  on  the  24th  of  February,  full  of  faith,  and  rejoicing 
that  she  had  been  counted  worthy  to  leave  her  country  and  home  on  such  an 
errand."  In  less  than  a  month  from  the  time  of  Mrs.  Grout's  death,  Messrs. 
Grout  and  Adams,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Adams  and  Mrs.  Champion,  started 
from  Bethelsdorp  for  Port  Natal/  taking  the  overland  route  through  Kafirland. 
Although  the  distance  was  not  more  than  six  hundred  miles,  they  were  two 
months  on  the  journey.     They  reached  their  destination  on  the  21st  of  May. 

As  soon  as  Dingan  heard  of  their  arrival,  he  sent  for  them,  and  gave  them 
a  cordial  reception,  with  permission  to  form  a  station  at  his  capital.  Mr. 
Champion  was  designated  to  this  post,  but  the  site  finally  chosen  was  Ginani, 
some  eighty  miles  distant.  Dr.  Adams  was  located  at  the  Umlazi  River,  near 
Port  Natal.  As  Mr.  Grout  was  alone,  it  was  intended  that  he  should  labor  at 
either  of  these  stations,  as  circumstances  should  require,  with  the  expectation, 
however,  that  the  largest  share  of  his  time  would  be  needed  at  Ginani.  The 
prospects  of  the  mission  at  this  time  were  full  of  hope  and  encouragement,  and 
they  began  earnestly  to  desire  a  re-enforcement.  Before  many  months,  addi- 
tional laborers  were  providentially  furnished  them,  from  an  unexpected 
quarter. 

The  brethren  at  Mosika  had  hardly  commenced  their  labors,  when  one  after 
another  in  their  families  was  taken  down  with  fever,  occasioned,  in  the  opinion 
of  Dr.  Wilson,  by  entering  their  houses  before  the  mud  floors  were  sufficiently 
dry.  On  the  18th  of  September,  Mrs.  Wilson  was  removed  by  death,  after  an 
illness  of  only  eight  days.  "  Tell  my  mother,  and  sister,  and  friends,"  she 
said,  "  that  I  have  never  regretted  coming  to  Africa."  The  disease  was  of  a 
peculiar  kind,  and  was  followed,  in  the  surviving  members  of  the  mission,  by 
rheumatic  affections  of  a  very  distressing  nature.  They  had  scarcely  recov- 
ered from  this  visitation,  when  their  labors  were  terminated  by  a  war  between 
Moselekatsi  and  the  Dutch  Boers,  of  so  serious  a  nature  that  they  resolved  to 
withdraw  from  the  field,  and  join  their  brethren  at  Port  Natal.  The  wisdom 
of  this  step  soon  became  manifest.  Within  a  little  more  than  a  year  after 
the  mission  was  broken  up,  the  country  of  Moselekatsi  was  invaded  four 
times  ;  and  that  whole  region  soon  wore  a  very  discouraging  aspect.  In  going 
from  Mosika  to  Port  Natal,  our  brethren,  unacquainted  with  the  passes  through 
the  Kahlamba  Mountains,  made  a  circuit  around  by  Graham's  Town,  which  is 
about  ninety  miles  from  Port  Elizabeth.  This  route  made  the  journey  about 
thirteen  liundred  miles,  all  of  which  was  jjerfonned  in  ox-wagons. 

'They  reached  Natal  in  July,  1837.  Mr.  Venable  and  Dr.  Wilson  soon 
commenced  a  station  at  Hlangezwa,  one  of  Dingan's  militarv  kraals,  near  the 


16  THE   ZULU   MISSION. 

Umhlatuzi  River,  about  fifty  miles  from  the  chiefs  residence,  and  about  thirty 
miles  from  Giuani,  which  was  some  thirty  miles  nearer  Port  Natal.  Mr.  Lind- 
ley  went  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  commenced  a  station  at  Ifumi,  some 
thiily-five  miles  from  the  seaport,  and  about  twenty-five  miles  from  the  Um- 
lazi  River.  Previous  to  this  time,  a  printing-press  had  been  sent  to  the  mis- 
sion, and  had  been  set  up  at  the  Umlazi  station  ;  and  some  elementary  books 
were  printed  in  the  Zulu  language.  Near  the  close  of  1837,  Mr.  Grout 
returned  to  America,  taking  with  him  his  motherless  child  and  that  of 
Dr.  Wilson. 

By  this  time,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  were  engaged  in  an  important  work  at 
Umlazi.  They  had  about  fifty  pupils  in  their  school,  besides  a  morning  class 
of  adults ;  and  the  congregation  on  the  Sabbath,  most  of  whom  were  gathered 
into  the  Sabbath  school,  usually  numbered  several  hundreds.  Mrs.  Adams 
had  in  addition  a  sewing  school  for  females,  two  days  every  week.  Mr.  Cham- 
pion had  gathered  a  congregation  of  about  two  hundred  ;  and,  in  the  course  of 
eight  or  nine  months,  he  had  ten  boys  and  twenty  females  under  instruction. 

Early  in  1838,  however,  the  mission  was  broken  up,  in  consequence  of  the 
disturbances  which  followed  the  arrival  of  the  Dutch.  As  no  one  could  foresee 
the  extent  or  duration  of  these  troubles,  the  missionary  band  deemed  it  neces- 
sary to  leave  their  interesting  field  of  labor,  and  seek  refuge  for  a  time  at  Port 
Elizabeth.  They  left  Natal  on  the  30th  of  March,  leaving  Mr.  Lindley  at 
Umlazi  to  watch  the  progress  of  events.  In  about  three  weeks,  a  Zulu  arm)' 
invaded  Natal,  and  he  escaped  on  board  a  vessel  lying  in  the  harbor.  After 
visiting  Delagoa  Bay,  (a  Portuguese  settlement  some  five  hundred  miles  north- 
east of  Port  Natal,)  he  joined  his  family  and  associates  at  Port  Elizabeth,  on 
the  22d  of  June. 

*  Seeing  no  prospect  of  being  able  to  continue  his  labors  in  Natal,  Mr.  Vena- 
ble  went  with  his  wife  to  Cape  Town,  where  he  made  himself  very  useful. 
They  afterward  returned  to  America,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Champion  soon  fol- 
lowed, in  consequence  of  her  impaired  health.  Neither  of  these  brethren 
resumed  their  missionary  labors  in  Africa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Venable  sought  and 
obtained  an  honorable  release  from  the  service  of  the  Board.  Mr.  Champion 
was  very  reluctant  to  give  up  his  cherished  missionary  work  in  Africa  ;  but  the 
state  of  his  wife's  health  kept  him  at  home,  until  he  was  himself  attacked  with 
a  pidmonary  complaint.  He  sought  relief  from  this  disease  by  a  temporary  so- 
journ in  the  West  Indies,  and  died  at  Santa  Cruz,  December  17,  1841,  at  the  age 
of  thirty-one.  "  His  life  was  one  of  rare  consecration  to  the  cause  of  Christ." 
Dr.  Wilson  also  reached  America  in  1838,  and  soon  after  joined  the  mission  at 
Cape  Palmas,  in  Western  Afi-ica,  where  he  died,  after  laboring  two  years,  in 
October,  1841. 

Quiet  having  been  restored  by  the  complete  overthrow  of  Dingan,  Mr.  Lind- 
ley and  Dr.  Adams,  with  Mrs.  Adams,  returned  to  Port  Natal  on  the  12th  of 
June,  1839,  — Mrs.  Lindley  having  been  detained  till  autumn  by  the  illness  of 
a  child.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aldin  Grout  reached  the  mission  in  June,  1840.  Mr. 
Lindley,  on  his  return  to  Natal,  was  so  impressed  with  the  importance  of  evan- 
gelical labors  among  the  Dutch,  in  order  to  the  ultimate  success  of  the  mis- 
sion, that  he  sought  and  obtained  a  temporary  release  from  the  Board,  in  order 
that  he  might  devote  his  time  to  their  spiritual  improvement.     Dr.  Adams 


EARLY    HISTORY.  17 

returned  to  his  station  at  the  Umlazi  River,  and  soon  reported  a  congregation 
of  500,  and  a  Bible  class  and  Sabbath  school  of  200,  together  with  a  day  school 
of  50  pupils.  Prior  to  1841,  55,380  pages  were  printed  at  Umlazi.  Mr. 
Grout,  unwilling  to  give  up  the  idea  of  laboring  in  the  Zulu  country  without 
another  trial,  sought  an  interview  with  Umpandi,  Dingan's  brother  and  suc- 
cessor, and  obtained  his  permission  to  recommence  operations  among  his 
people.  The  name  given  to  the  new  station  was  Inkanyezi,  a  Zulu  word  sig- 
nifying "  a  star."  A  congregation  was  soon  gathered  of  about  250,  and  there 
was  a  school  of  about  50  pupils.  Within  two  years,  however,  this  field  was 
again  abandoned,  in  consequence  of  the  suspicion  and  jealousy  of  Umpandi. 
The  missionary,  he  thought,  was  getting  too  strong  a  hold  upon  the  confidence 
of  the  people  ;  and,  true  to  his  family  and  savage  instincts,  he  ordered  those  who 
had  been  most  under  Mr.  Grout's  influence  to  be  put  to  death.  In  September, 
1842,  the  latter  commenced  a  new  station  at  the  Umgeni  River,  where  he  soon 
reported  a  congregation  varying  from  600  to  1000. 

After  hearing  of  Mr.  Grout's  withdrawal  from  the  Zulu  country,  and  in 
view  of  the  repeated  disasters  which  the  brethren  had  experienced,  the  Pru- 
dential Committee  decided  to  discontinue  this  mission;  and  in  August,  1843, 
instructions  were  dispatched  accordingly.  This  action  on  the  part  of  the 
Committee  would  not  have  been  taken,  probably,  had  letters  written  in  the 
earlier  part  of  1843,  giving  a  brighter  page  in  their  checkered  history,  been 
received.  Unfortunately,  however,  they  were  a  year  on  the  way.  Meanwhile, 
Natal  had  passed  under  the  govei'nment  and  protection  of  Great  Britain ;  and 
the  natives  were  rapidly  flocking  to  the  colony,  to  avail  themselves  of  so  safe 
an  asylum  from  the  despotism  of  Umpandi.  It  soon  became  evident,  more- 
over, that  the  British  government  was  designing  to  pursue  a  just  and  liberal 
policy  toward  the  native  tribes.  Just  as  the  sky  was  thus  brightening  over 
the  heads  of  the  missionaries,  they  received  the  decision  of  the  Committee. 
In  the  circumstances,  Mr.  Grout  deemed  it  his  duty  to  comply  with  these 
unwelcome  instructions ;  and  he  repaired  to  Cape  Town,  from  which  port  a 
vessel  was  soon  to  sail  for  the  United  States.  But  Dr.  Adams  resolved  to 
remain  at  his  post  at  all  hazards. 

No  sooner  had  Mr.  Grout  reached  Cape  Town,  than  Dr.  Philip  and  other 
evangelical  ministers  and  Christians  remonstrated  against  the  abandonment  of 
the  mission.  A  public  meeting  Avas  called  ;  and,  after  listening  to  Mr.  Grout's 
statement.  Dr.  Philip,  the  American  Consul,  and  other  friends  of  missions, 
made  addresses.  At  the  close  of  this  meeting,  a  collection  amounting  to  some 
600  dollars  was  taken  up  to  defray  his  expenses  until  he  could  communicate 
with  the  Prudential  Committee  ;  and  this  sum  w-as  afterward  increased  to  some 
800  dollars.  Dr.  Philip,  with  his  characteristic  earnestness,  wrote  to  the  Com- 
mittee, declaring  that,  rather  than  have  the  mission  given  up  for  want  of  funds, 
he  would  willingly  visit  America,  notwithstanding  his  advanced  age,  and 
beg  for  it.  x\.  joint  letter  from  all  the  evangelical  ministers  at  Cape  Town, 
pleading  for  the  continuance  of  the  mission,  was  forwarded  to  Boston ;  and 
that  excellent  man,  Sir  Peregrine  Maitland,  who  was  then  governor  of  the  Col- 
ony of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  matter,  and  off'cred 
Mr.  Grout  every  assistance  in  his  power,  and  finally  appointed  him  government 
missionary  to  Natal,  with  a  salary  of  £150.  The  same  offer  was  made  to 
3 


18  THE   ZULU   MISSION. 

Dr.  Adams ;  and  Mr.  Lindley  was  appointed  preacher  to  the  Boers.  On 
learning  these  new  and  encouraging  facts,  the  Committee  resolved  to  continue 
the  mission. 

On  returning  to  Natal,  Mr.  Grout  formed  a  new  station  on  the  Umvoti  River^ 
about  forty-five  miles  from  the  Port,  on  the  north-east,  and  about  five  miles 
from  the  sea.  And  here  for  more  than  twenty  years,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  visit  to  the  United  States,  he  has  been  indefatigable  in  his  eff'orts  for  the 
temporal  and  spiritual  well-being  of  his  people.  After  reaping  the  benefit  of 
his  appointment  as  government  missionary  for  about  a  year,  he  resumed  his 
connection  with  the  Board.  Dr.  Adams,  who  went  out  as  a  missionary  physi- 
cian, received  ordination  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  at  Cape  Town,  on  the  10th 
of  December,  1844.  The  services  were  performed  by  Drs.  Phihp  and  Adam- 
son  and  Messrs.  Faure  and  Brown,  clergymen  of  that  place.  Returning  to 
Umlazi,  he  resumed  his  labors,*  and  during  the  residue  of  his  life  he  secured, 
by  his  unblemished  life  and  dignified  Christian  demeanor,  the  profound  respect 
of  all  who  knew  him.  In  the  same  year  Mr.  Lindley  resumed  his  connection 
with  the  Board,  and  commenced  a  station  at  Inanda,  where  he  has  labored 
faithfully  and  successfully  until  the  present  time,  with  the  exception  of  his 
visit  to  the  United  States. 

RE-ENFORCEMENTS . 

The  communications  from  the  mission  at  this  period  were  full  of  hope.  God 
had  enabled  them  to  weather  the  storm,  and  a  brighter  day  had  evidently 
dawned  upon  them.  Their  relations  to  the  natives  and  the  government,  and 
consequently  their  missionary  operations,  were  fast  assuming  a  definite  and 
permanent  character,  and  they  began  to  call  in  earnest  for  re-enforcements. 
These  calls  were  promptly  responded  to,  and  in  less  than  three  years  from  the 
18th  of  April,  1846,  nine  ordained  missionaries  and  their  wives  sailed  from 
Boston  for  this  field,  to-wit :  — 

Sailed.  Arrived  at  Natal. 

James  C.  Bryant  and  Mrs.  Dolly  F.  Bryant,  April  15,  1846.  Aug.  15,  1846. 
Lewis  Grout  and  Mrs.  Lydia  Grout,  Oct.  10,  1846.      Feb.  15,  1847. 

Silas  McKinney  and  Mrs.  Fanny  McKinney,   April  29,  1847.    July  31,  1847. 
Samuel  D.  Marsh  and  Mrs.  Mary  S.  Marsh, 
David  Rood  and  Mrs  Alvira  V.  Rood, 
Wm.  Ireland  and  Mrs.  Jane  Ireland,  Oct.  14,  1848.      Feb.  13,  1849. 

Andrew  Abraham  and  Mrs.  S.  L.  Abraham,  > 

Josiah  Tyler  and  Mrs.  Susan  W.  Tyler,  i  April  7,  1849.  July  16,  1849. 
H.  A.  Wilder  and  Mrs.  Abby  T.  Wilder,       ) 

In  1850,  Rev.  Jacob  Ludwig  Dohne,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  repaired  to 
South  Africa  in  1836,  under  the  direction  of  the  Berlin  Missionary  Society, 
was  appointed  a  missionary  of  the  Board.  During  the  same  year,  Mr.  John 
A.  Butler,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  Mrs.  Anna  S.  Butler,  went  out  to  take 

*  Finding  tliat  his  proximity  with  the  seaport  would  bring  him  into  closer  contact  with 
the  white  settlers  than  seemed  desirable,  he  removed,  iu  1847,  to  Amanzimtoti,  about  twelve 
miles  furtlior  to  the  south-west. 


I  Oct.  28,  1847.      Jan.  20,  1848. 


DEATHS    AND    ADDITIONAL   RE-ENFORCEMENTS.  19 

charge  of  the  press.  He  was  stationed  at  Umbilo,  four  miles  from  Durban. 
Thus,  in  July,  1850,  only  six  years  after  the  mission  was  on  the  point  of  being 
abandoned,  this  missionary  band  embraced  thiiteen  ordained  missionaries  and 
their  wives,  besides  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler. 

In  1851  the  missionaries  were  laboring  at  the  following  stations  :  — 

A.  Grout,  Umvoti,  45  miles  N.  E.  of  Durban,  and  5  miles  from  the  sea, 

A.  Abraham,  Mapumulo,  70  miles  N.  of  Durban,  and  25  from  the  sea. 

D.  Lindley,  Inanda,  15  miles  N.  W.  of  Durban,  and  10  from  the  sea. 

L.  Grout,  Umsunduzi,  35  miles  N.  W.  of  Durban,  and  15  from  the  sea. 

S.  D.  Marsh,  Itafamasi,  30  miles  N.  W.  of  Durban,  and  15  from  the  sea. 

J.  Tyler,  Esidumbini,  40  miles  N.  of  Durban,  and  20  from  the  sea. 

J.  L.  DoJine,  Table  Mountain,  40  miles  N.  W.  of  Durban,  and  40  from  the  sea. 

N.  Adams,  M.  D.,  Amanzimtote,  22  miles  S.  W.  of  Durban,  and  5  from  the  sea. 

Wm.  Ireland,  Ifumi,  35  miles  S.  AV.  of  Durban,  and  6  from  the  sea. 

8.  McKinney,  Amahlongwa,  47  miles  S.  W.  of  Durban,  and  5  from  the  sea. 

D.  Rood,  Ifafa,  65  miles  S.  W.  of  Durban,  and  5  from  the  sea. 

H.  A.  Wilder,  Umtwalumi,  78  miles  S.  W.  of  Durban,  and  10  from  the  sea. 

DEATHS   AND   ADDITIONAL   RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 

In  September,  1849,  Mr.  Bryant,  who  had  labored  for  two  years  at  Ifumi, 
was  obliged  to  retire  from  active  labor,  in  consequence  of  his  rapidly  failing 
health,  and  Mr.  Ireland  was  appointed  to  succeed  him  at  that  station.  His 
disease  was  consumption ;  he  died  at  Inanda,  greatly  lamented,  December  23, 
1850.  After  sixteen  eventful  years  of  service,  Dr.  Adams  died,  in  the  midst 
of  his  usefulness,  on  the  8th  of  September,  1851.  His  loss  was  felt  to  be 
irreparable.  Mr.  Rood  went  from  Ifafa  to  supply  the  vacancy  thus  made  at 
Amanzimtote.  Rev.  S.  B.  Stone  and  Mrs.  Catherine  M.  Stone,  who  reached 
Natal  January  16,  1851,  succeeded  Mr.  Rood.  Rev.  William  Mellen  and  Mrs. 
Laurana  W.  Mellen  sailed  from  Boston,  June  23,  1851,  and  arrived  at  Natal 
in  September.  The  following  year  they  were  located  at  Umtwalumi,  with  Mr. 
Wilder.  In  December,  1853,  Mr.  Marsh  Avas  removed  by  death.  He  had 
labored  diligently  and  usefully  for  six  years,' and  was  "a  brother  beloved." 
Mrs.  Bryant  and  Mrs.  Marsh  returned  to  the  United  States  soon  after  the 
death  of  their  husbands.  Mrs.  Adams  remained  in  the  mission  more  than 
three  years  after  she  became  a  widow,  and  then  returned  to  this  country,  after 
an  absence  of  more  than  twenty  years.  She  loved  the  missionary  work,  and 
was  eminently  useful. 

Rev.  Stephen  C.  Pixley  and  Mrs.  Louisa  Pixley  joined  the  mission  in  Janu- 
ary, 1856.  Having  spent  a  year  at  Amanzimtote,  studying  the  language  and 
assisting  Mr.  Rood,  they  were  located  at  Amahlongwa,  as  this  station  had 
become  vacant,  five  years  before,  by  the  return  of  Mr.  McKinney  and  his 
family  to  America.  As  soon  as  Mr.  McKinney  regained  his  health,  he  went 
back  to  Natal,  (1857,)  and  was  stationed  at  Amanzimtote. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Aldin  Grout  and  family  made  a  visit  to  this  country,  and  were 
followed,  in  1859  and  1860,  by  Messrs.  I^indley  and  Rood,  Mitli  their  families. 
Mr.  Grout  remained  only  a  year,  but  Messrs.  Rood  and  Lindley  were  unavoid- 
ably detained,  the  one  two  years,  and  the  other  three.     Both  were  usefully 


20  THE   ZULU   MISSION. 

employed,  however,  Mr.  Rood  in  preparing  books  for  the  press,  and  Mr.  Lind- 
ley  in  addressing  congregations  on  the  subject  of  missions,  from  one  end  of 
the  land  to  the  other.  Mr.  Mellen  occupied  Mr.  Grout's  station  during  his 
visit  to  America,  and  he  also  occupied  Inanda  during  Mr.  Lindley's  absence. 
Afterward  he  took  charge  of  Umsunduzi,  made  vacant  by  the  return  to  the 
United  States  of  Mr.  Lewis  Grout,  in  1862.  The  latter  has  since  been  released 
from-his  connection  with  the  Board.  During  the  years  1859-1862,  the  mission 
was  re-enforced  by  the  following  ordained  laborers  :  — 

Sailed.  Arrived  at  Natal. 

E.  Robbins  and  Mrs.  Addie  B.  Robbins,  Sept.  29,  1859.     Dec.  30,  1859. 

H.  i\I.  Bridgman  and  Mrs.  Laura  N.  Bridgman,  Sept.  1,  1860.  Nov.  24, 1860. 
Charles  H.  Lloyd  and  Mrs.  Katherine  C.  Lloyd,  June  21,  1862.     Dec.  11,  1862. 

Mr.  Robbins  spent  nearly  a  year  at  Amanzimtote,  and  in  1861  he  was 
located  at  Umzumbi.  Mr.  Bridgman,  in  1862,  was  stationed  at  Ifumi,  and 
Mr.  Lloyd,  in  1863,  became  Mr.  Grout's  colleague  at  Umvoti. 

This  mission  was  again  bereaved,  in  the  removal  of  Mrs.  McKinney  and 
Mrs.  Ireland,  the  former  having  died  November  26,  1861,  and  the  latter  Janu- 
ary 25,  1862.  Early  in  1863,  Messrs.  McKinney  and  L-eland  visited  this 
country ;  and  the  latter,  having  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Aldin  Grout,  has 
again  returned  to  his  field  of  labor. 

RESULTS. 

In  estimating  the  results  which  the  gospel  has  produced  among  the  Zulus,  it 
is  plainly  impossible  to  express  with  figures  the  important  and  powerful  influ- 
ences which  are  at  work  for  the  ultimate  subversion  of  heathenism.  Many 
of  these  influences  are  vmseen  and  intangible.  We  have  reason  for  believing 
that  thousands  of  the  natives  of  Natal  are  intellectually  convinced  of  the 
truth,  and  that  scores,  especially  among  the  females,  Avould  ojjenly  avow  their 
adhesion  to  Christianity,  if  left  to  act  freely.  But  there  are  fruits  which  are 
obvious  and  striking.  Notwithstanding  all  the  drawbacks  and  hinderances  to 
the  acceptance  of  a  spiritual  religion,  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  have  been 
received  into  the  ten  mission' churches  within  the  past  eighteen  years,  of 
whom  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  were  in  good  standing  at  the  close  of  1863. 
And  among  that  nation  of  polygamists,  where,  twenty  years  ago,  the  family 
relation  was  utterly  ih  ruins,  and  the  fiimily  altar  unknown,  except  as  seen 
among  the  missionaries,  there  are  now  to  be  found,  at  our  American  mission 
stations,  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  Christian  families,  embracing 
more  than  five  hundred  children  who  have  been  dedicated  by  their  parents  to 
God  in  baptism,  many  of  whom  are  sent  to  school,  and  are  daily  brought,  to  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  under  the  influence  of  divine  truth. 

Let  us  look,  for  a  moment,  at  this  people,  in  contrast  with  their  former 
heathen  state.  Instead  of  the  shameful,  yet  shameless,  state  of  nudity  in 
which  the  wild  heathen  live,  if  we  go  on  the  Sabbath  to  several  of  the  larger 
stations,  we  shall  find  congregations  varying  from  one  hundred  to  three  hun- 
dred, three  fourths  of  whom  are  respectably  and  becomingly  clad  in  European 
apparel,  and  worshiping  in  brick  churches,  built  mainly  at  the  expense  of  these 
Christian  converts,  and  in  some  cases,  indeed,  by  their  own  hands.     Instead 


RESULTS.  21 

of  the  little  grass  huts,  and  the  rude  and  barbarous  articles  of  furniture  already 
described,  several  of  the  Christian  Zulus  live  in  comfortable  brick  houses,  and 
most  of  them  have  dwellings  of  European  construction,  furnished  more  and 
more  largely,  as  their  means  increase,  with  tables,  chairs,  bedsteads,  boxes  for 
their  clothing,  crockery,  knives,  forks,  spoons,  and  various  articles  of  European 
and  American  manufacture.  A  marked  change  is  apparent  in  their  implements 
of  husbandry,  as  in  their  mode  of  life  generally.  Instead  of  imposing  all  the 
drudgery,  in  the  field  as  well  as  in  the  house,  upon  the  poor  women,  the  men 
are  coming  more  and  more,  every  year,  to  assume  their  proper  position  and  duties. 

It  should  be  known,  moreover,  that  the  plow  is  a  wonderful  auxiliary  of  the 
gospel  in  the  matter  of  civilizing  a  savage  people.  These  old  polygamists  are 
shrewd  enough  to  perceive  that,  with  this  wonderful  "  labor-saving  machine," 
one  man  can  do  as  much  work  as  a  dozen  of  their  strongest  and  most  active 
■women,  besides  doing  it  better.  About  one  hundred  good  Yankee  plows  are 
owned  and  used  by  the  members  of  our  different  stations,  and  every  year  hun- 
dreds of  acres  are  cultivated  therewith,  to  the  great  gratification  and  relief  of 
the  women.  The  Christians  are  also  getting  axes,  hatchets,  spades,  saws, 
augers,  and  planes  ;  and  they  are  continually  advancing  in  their  ability  and 
skill  to  use  such  tools. 

Nor  have  these  gratifying  changes  been  confined  to  mere  external  appear- 
ances. The  Zulu  is  proverbially  selfish  and  covetous  in  his  unconverted, 
heathen  state,  disposed  to  hoard  his  earnings,  or  invest  them  in  cattle.  But  the 
gospel  has  made  the  native  believers  examples  of  liberality.  At  several  of  the 
stations  the  monthly  concert  contributions  have,  from  the  first,  averaged  a  dol- 
lar a  year  for  each  member  of  the  church  ;  and  the  amount  given,  as  compared 
with  their  means,  is  much  larger  than  that  of  Christians  generally  at  home. 
At  one  of  the  stations,  during  the  years  1858-1860,  a  church  numbering  but 
little  more  than  thirty  members  contributed  £130  (about  .fGoO)  toward  the 
erection  of  a  brick  church,  capable  of  accommodating  more  than  300  people; 
and  at  another  station,  where  there  are  about  seventy  members,  they  have 
nearly  completed  a  much  larger  church,  for  Avhich  the  natives  have  contributed 
more  than  $3000.  In  1860  a  native  Home  Missionary  Society  was  established 
for  the  support  of  native  preachers.  During  1861  and  1S62,  $380  were  paid 
by  the  native  Christians  into  the  treasury  of  this  society,  and  the  annual  letter 
fi-om  the  mission  states  that  £100  have  been  contributed  for  this  object  the 
past  year.  Two  young  men  are  iu  the  employment  of  this  society  as  mission- 
aries. Since  the  commencement  of  the  civil  war,  several  of  the  station  schools 
have  been  largely  supjiorted  by  the  parents  of  the  ])upils,  and  one  of  them 
entirely  so.  In  1803  there  was  a  school  at  Umvoti  of  sixty-seven  scholars, 
taught  by  an  English  colonist,  who  received  a  salary  of  £75  per  annum,  all 
paid  by  the  natives.  And  the  same  year  there  was  a  school  with  fifty  scholars 
at  Amanzimtote,  taught  by  the  son  of  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  minister,  and 
£45  of  his  salary  came  from  the  natives. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  for  1864,  after  speaking  of  these  schools, 
gives  the  following  extract  from  the  mission  letter :  — 

"  At  other  stations  the  people  are  doing  more  than  ever  before  toward  the 
support  of  schools  ;  and  still  more  would  be  done,  if  suitable  teachers  could  be 
obtained  for  such  salaries  as  the  people  are  able  to  pay.''     "  Heretofore  we 


22 


THE   ZULU    MISSION. 


have  found  one  of  our  greatest  discouragements,  not  merely  in  the  apathy 
of  the  heathen  around  us  in  regard  to  instruction,  but  in  then*  decided 
unwillingness  to  receive  it,  in  our  schools  or  elsewhere.  In  this  respect 
a  great  and  happy  change  has  taken  place  in  the  minds  of  many ;  and 
we  believe  that  this  change  will,  every  day,  become  greater  and  more 
general.  We  are  seeing  and  enjoying  an  intellectual  revival,  and  have 
strong  faith  that  this  Mill,  in  due  time,  be  followed  by  one  of  a  spiritual 
character."  "  We  suppose  tlie  great  superiority  of  most  of  our  converts 
over  the  uninstructed  is  beginning  to  make  the  latter  feel  that  they  must 
advance,  or  be  left  shamefully  behind.  The  blindest  among  them  can  now 
see  that  knowledge  is  as  truly  power  in  the  case  of  a  black  man  as  it  is 
with  the  white." 

In  reference  to  the  Christian  character  of  the  communicants  at  Umvoti, 
Mr.  Grout  says,  "  The  members  require  watching,  and  at  times  discipline  ;  but, 
all  things  considered,  I  think  the  evidence  of  a  saving  change  wrought  in  then- 
hearts  is  as  satisfactory  and  conclusive  as  we  find  in  civilized  countries.  The 
interest  they  manifest  in  the  world's  prayer-meeting,  as  each  year  comes  round, 
is  very  gratifying,  and  I  may  say  edifying.  A  greater  proportion  of  them  are 
regularly  at  the  monthly  missionary  prayer-meeting,  than  commonly  attend  in 
Christian  lands."     The^e  remarks  will  apply  to  other  stations. 

The  numerical  strength  of  the  churches,  the  average  size  of  the  schools,  and 
the  attendance  at  public  worship  on  the  Sabbath,  may  be  inferred  from  the 
following  table  :  — 


Stations. 

- 

Sabbath 
Congregations. 

Pupils. 

Church  Mem- 
bers. 

Mapumulo, 
Umvoti,  . 

40 

248 

50 

50 

140 

130 

65 

38 

39 

85 

50 

12 
62 
18 
12 
39 
54 
29 
14 
8 
33 
25 

7 
72 

5 
12 
54 
55 
37 

5 

4 
15 

esidumbini, 
Umsunduzi, 
Inanda.   . 

Amanzimtote, 
Ifumi,      .    . 
Amahlongwa, 
Ifafa, 

Umtwalumi, 
Umzumbi, 

935 

306 

266 

PRINTING   AND   BOOK-MAKING. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remark  that,  at  the  commencement  of  the  mission, 
the  Zulus  had  no  written  language.  Among  the  earlier  efforts  of  our  bi'ethren, 
therefore,  was  the  work  of  reducing  the  language  to  a  written  form ;  and  then, 
from  time  to  time,  as  their  other  labors  allowed,  they  must  needs  give  to  the 
people  the  Scriptures  and  other  useful  books  in  their  own  tongue.  Up  to  the 
present  time,  more  than  three  millions  of  pages  have  been  printed  and  pub- 
lished in  the  language,  under  the  direction  of  the  mission,  to  wit :  Genesis 


EUROPEAN    MISSIONS.  23 

and  the  Psalms,  together  -with  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  New  Testament,  are 
made  accessible  to  the  Zulus ;  and  there  have  been  published,  also,  an  Arith- 
metic, Geography,  Spelling-book,  Catechism,  &c.,  Sec,  for  the  use  of  schools; 
a  Hymn-book  containing  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  hymns ;  a  transla- 
tion of  the  "  Tract  Primer,"  the  "  Daily  Food,"  and  several  tracts.  In  1857, 
Mr.  Dohne  published  his  Zulu-Kafir  Dictionary,  four  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
pages,  octavo,  with  double  columns,  and  containing  more  than  ten  thousand 
Zulu  words  etymologically  explained  ;  and  in  1859  Mr.  Lewis  Grout  issued  his 
"  Grammar  of  the  Zulu  Language,"  four  hunch-ed  and  thirty -two  pages,  octavo. 

EUROPEAN   MISSIONS. 

When  the  attention  of  the  Board  was  first  directed  to  the  Zulus,  no  Euro- 
pean society  had  attempted  to  evangelize  them.  But  since  1840,  and  especially 
since  Natal  became  a  British  colony,  other  laborers  have  seemed  to  be  anxious 
to  enter  this  field,  disregarding  the  stronger  claims  of  China,  India,  &e.  The 
hope  that  Providence  would  give  freer  access  to  Umpandi's  people  has  had  its 
influence,  doubtless ;  and  some  have  already  succeeded  in  establishing  them- 
selves, for  a  time  at  least,  in  his  territory.  Still  it  admits  of  a  serious  question, 
whether  a  wise  distribution  of  the  force  which  Protestant  Christians  have 
mustered,  would  have  placed  so  much  of  it  in  Natal. 

The  Wesleyan  Mission  dates  from  1841.  From  the  beginning,  however,  it 
has  directed  a  large  share  of  its  attention  to  the  white  population  ;  and  re- 
cently it  has  endeavored  to  care  for  the  coolies  employed  in  the  colony,  of 
whom  there  were  about  two  thousand  in  1862.  As  the  reports  of  the  Wes- 
leyan Missionary  Society  do  not  discriminate  accurately  between  these  differ- 
ent branches  of  effort,  it  is  not  easy  to  ascertain  just  what  it  has  accomplished 
for  the  natives.  Pietermaritzburg,  Durban,  Verulam,  Edendale,  and  Indaleni 
are  its  principal  stations.  , 

The  Norwegian  Mission  (supported  by  a  society  which  has  its  seat  in  Sta- 
venger,  Norway)  was  commenced  by  Rev.  ^Ir.  Schreuder  in  1845.  Having 
become  discouraged  in  1847,  he  went  to  China,  hoping  to  find  a  desirable  field 
in  that  empire.  But  he  returned  to  Natal ;  and  in  1850  he  commenced  a  sta- 
tion eight  miles  from  the  residence  of  Mr.  iVbraham.  The  mission  Avas  re-en- 
forced next  year  ;  and  he  removed  (with  another)  to  the  Zulu  country,  where  he 
still  remains.  At  the  present  time  he  has  six  lay  associates,  though  there  is 
but  one  station  in  Natal,  llev.  L.  Grout,  in  his  Zululand,  speaks  of  the 
"  work  "  of  this  mission  as  "  prosperous." 

The  Berlin  Mission  was  begun  in  1847.  The  Missionary  Herald  for  Sep- 
tember, 1864,  contains  a  tabular  view  of  the  operations  of  the  Berlin  Mission- 
ary Society,  from  which  it  appears  that  there  are  five  stations  in  Natal  — 
Emmaus,  Christianenburg,  Stendal,  Emangweni,  Wartburg ;  and  that  the  num- 
ber of  communicants  is  eighty-four. 

That  remarkable  man,  Pastor  Harms,  of  Hermannsburg,  in  the  kingdom  of 
Hanover,  is  the  father  of  the  Hanoverian  Mission.  It  was  his  design  to  make 
his  first  evangelistic  attempt  among  the  Gallas,  and  the  first  band  of  laborers 
embarked  for  their  country ;  but  not  fnuling  an  open  door,  they  returned  to 
Natal,  (August  2,  1854,)  and  soon  established  themselves  in  the  colony,  mak- 


24  THE   ZULU    MISSION. 

ing  Hermannsburg  their  principal  station.  In  1856,  1857,  and  1860,  large 
re-enforcements  joined  them,  so  that  in  1860  they  had  forty  missionaries, 
catechists,  and  teachers,  together  with  eighty  colonists.  Among  the  latter, 
says  Mr.  L.  Grout,  "  they  can  reckon  men  of  almost  every  kind  of  handcraft 
—  agriculturists,  carpenters,  joiners,  wheelwrights,  shoemaker  and  tailor,  ma-- 
son  and  miller,  tanner  and  turner,  shepherd  and  dyer."  They  have  three 
stations  in  Natal,  besides  Hermannsburg,  three  in  the  Zulu  country,  and 
three  beyond  the  Kahlamba  Mountains.  The  natives  are  admitted  to  the 
church  with  the  understanding  that  if  they  leave  it,  voluntarily  or  not,  theii' 
children  shall  remain  with  the  mission.  The  experiment  which  Pastor  Harms 
is  making,  will  be  watched  Mith  the  deepest  interest  by  Christians  throughout 
the  world.  Should  his  expectations  be  realized,  however,  the  success  of  an 
American  mission  upon  the  same  plan  Avould  be  as  problematical  as  ever.  We 
could  hardly  expect  a  dozen  American  families  or  more  to  live  in  one  large 
dwelling,  and  eat  at  a  common  table,  having  all  their  affairs,  with  the  concerns 
of  the  entire  mission,  managed  by  a  single  person  ! 

The  Church  of  England  Mission  dates,  properly,  from  the  arrival  of  Bishop 
Colenso  in  Natal,  in  1850.  It  has  stations  at  Ekukanyeni,  (the  bishop's  res- 
idence, six  miles  from  Pietermaritzburg,)  Pietermaritzburg,  Umlazi  River, 
Ungababa,  (near  Ifumi,)  Dr.  Callaway's  station,  some  forty  miles  inland,  on 
the  Umkomazi  River.  It  has  one  or  more  stations  in  the  Zulu  country.  There 
are  no  data,  accessible  and  reliable,  for  giving  the  results  obtained  by  this 
mission. 

The  denominational  affinities  of  the  first  and  last  of  these  missions  are  suf- 
ficiently indicated  already.  The  Norwegian  mission  is  Lutheran,  and  so  is  the 
Hanoverian.  The  direction  of  the  Berlin  Missionary  Society  is  supposed  to 
be  mainly  (if  not  entirely)  in  the  hands  of  men  who  have  the  same  ecclesias- 
tical preferences.' 


SKETCH   OF  THE   GABOON   MISSION. 


-<>oJ<*iOo- 


Western  Africa  is  regarded  as  comprising  that  portion  of  the  continent 
lying  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  from  the  southern  border  of  the  Great  Desert, 
in  about  sixteen  degrees  north  latitude,  to  about  the  same  degree  of  south 
latitude.  It  embraces  three  grand  divisions  —  Senegambia,  running  through 
about  six  degrees  of  latitude,  on  the  north  ;  Upper  or  Northern  Guinea,  reach- 
ing from  Cape  Verga  to  the  Cameroons  Mountains  ;  and  Southern  Guinea,  from 
those  mountains,  four  degrees  north,  to  about  sixteen  degrees  south  of  the 
equator.  This  extent  of  territory  presents  great  variety  in  physical  aspect, 
and  not  a  little  of  the  richest  natural  scenery.  Alternate  land  and  sea  breezes 
moderate  the  heat,  and  render  the  climate  not  oppressively  warm,  the  general 
range  of  the  thermometer  being  from  seventy  to  ninety  degrees.  The  only 
seasons  recognized  are  the  dry  and  the  rainy. 

The  native  inhabitants,  though  supposed  to  be  all  of  the  negro  race,  may  be 
divided  into  three  great  families,  corresponding  to  the  three  geographical 
divisions  of  the  country,  and  presenting  marked  differences.  In  Senegambia 
they  profess  the  Mohammedan  faith,  and  appear  to  be  of  mixed  descent,  rather 
than  pure  negroes.  The  people  of  Northern  Guinea  are  known  as  the  Nigri- 
tian,  and  those  of  Southern  Guinea  as  the  Nilotic  or  Ethiopian  family,  from 
their  supposed  descent,  respectively,  from  an  ancestry  inhabiting  the  valley  of 
the  Niger  and  the  upper  regions  on  the  Nile.     These  are  pagans. 

The  government  is  everywhere  a  nominal  monarchy,  but  it  more  nearly 
approaches  the  j)atriarchal  form  ;  and  there  are  few  kingdoms,  or  political 
organizations,  of  any  considerable  extent.  Though  greatly  debased  in  their 
heathenism,  the  people  are  not  among  the  lowest  orders  of  the  human  race. 
They  have  fixed  habitations,  cultivate  the  soil  as  a  means  of  subsistence,  have 
herds  of  domestic  animals,  evince  a  decided  taste  and  aptitude  for  commercial 
pursuits,  and  have  made  considerable  progress  in  manv  mechanic  arts. 

SOUTHERN    GUINEA. 

The  Nilotic  or  Ethiopian  family,  among  whom  the  mission  is  now  situated, 
are  "  spread  over  the  whole  southern  half  of  the  continent,  from  the  Mountains 
of  the  Moon  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope."  The  dialects  of  Northern  Guinea 
are  generally  harsh  and  abrupt,  with  comparatively  few  words  and  few  inflections, 
while  those  of  Southern  Guinea  are  soft,  pliant,  flexible  to  an  almost  unlimited 
4  (25) 


26  THE   GABOON   MISSION. 

extent,  with  grammatical  principles  founded  on  the  most  philosophical  basis, 
and  capable  of  expressing  all  the  nicer  shades  of  thought  and  feeling,  while 
the  number  of  words  may  be  multiplied  to  a  very  great  extent.  The  mission- 
aries, after  having  been  a  few  years  at  the  Gaboon,  stated,  "  We  have  been 
greatly  surprised  to  find  in  this  remote  corner  of  Africa,  and  among  a  people 
but  very  partially  civilized,  one  of  the  most  perfect  languages  [the  Mpongwe] 
of  which  we  have  any  knowledge." 

The  population  here,  as  in  other  parts  of  Western  Africa,  has  been  much 
reduced  by  the  slave  trade ;  but  there  has  been  a  continued  emigration  of 
interior  tribes  to  the  sea  coast.  Agricultural  [jroducts  are  mainly  such  as  the 
people  raise  for  their  own  food  —  Indian  corn,  plantains,  yams,  sweet  potatoes, 
cassava,  ground-nuts,  beans,  pumpkins,  sugar-cane,  &c.  Many  tropical  fruits 
—  oranges,  lemons,  limes,  pine-apples,  bananas,  guavas,  mangoes,  &c.  —  are 
abundant  at  the  Gaboon,  and  are  "  more  luscious  than  can  be  fancied  by  those 
who  have  eaten  them  only  after  they  have  made  a  sea  voyage."  The  forests 
also  abound  with  wild  fruits  and  nuts. 

The  native  houses  near  the  coast  are  built  of  bamboo,  quadrangular  in  form, 
covered  with  mats  made  of  the  bamboo  leaf,  and  always  but  one  story  high. 
Those  of  the  better  class  are  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  length,  with 
corresponding  width,  have  raised  clay  floors,  are  partitioned  into  several  apart- 
ments, and  Avhen  constructed  with  care,  present  a  neat  appearance,  and  are  dry 
and  healthful.  The  interior  tribes  build  in  a  simpler,  ruder  style.  In  the 
dwellings  of  the  bush  tribes  there  is  little  furniture  —  "a  few  mats  to  sleep 
on,  half  a  dozen  or  more  blocks  of  wood  for  seats,  and  a  few  of  the  plainest 
utensils  for  cooking  and  eating."  But  the  coast  natives  are  considerably  in 
advance  of  this  state  of  things,  and  the  more  wealthy  traders  often  have  many 
articles  of  foreign  manufacture,  including  sofas  and  pictures  in  gilt  frames. 
"  They  take  their  meals  at  tables,  and  use  knives  and  forks." 

POLYGAMY  —  SLAYKRY  —  KELIGION. 

The  custom  of  taking  many  wives  is  the  great  bane  of  native  society,  and 
leaves  a  people  who  have  social  characteristics  strongly  developed,  with  no 
semblance  of  domestic  happiness.  There  is  a  laxity  of  morals  scarcely  to  be 
conceived  of.  Mr.  AVilson  wrote,  in  1851,  "  We  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  is  nothing  of  the  marriage  relation  existing  among  them."  The  wife  "  is 
regarded  only  as  a  sort  of  loan,  or  an  exchange  that  may  be  withdrawn  at 
pleasure  ;  and  in  the  estimation  of  the  natives,  her  destiny  is  fully  answered 
if  she  enriches  her  husband  with  a  few  children.  In  this  way  and  for  this 
purpose,  the  entire  female  population  of  the  country  is  engrossed ;  and  no 
man  can  get  a  wife,  except  so  far  as  he  may  succeed  in  enticing  her  away 
from  some  one  else." 

Domestic  slavery  prevails  to  a  great  extent,  but  in  a  mild  form,  the  relation 
of  the  adult  slave  to  his  master  being  rather  that  of  a  dependent,  while  the 
master's  exercise  of  authority  is  much  restrained  by  his  constant  dread  of  the 
machinations  of  witchcraft,  which  the  slave  may  be  able  to  command  if  he  is 
harshly  treated.  Slaves  may  rise  to  respectability  and  wealth,  and  are,  not 
unfrequently,  themselves  the  owners  of  other  slaves. 


THE   MISSION  —  ITS   COMMENCEMENT.  27 

The  people  of  Northern  and  Southern  Guinea  believe  In  common,  according 
to  Mr.  AVilson,  in  one  Supreme  Being,  in  a  future  existence,  in  evil  spirits,  and 
in  witchcraft ;  and  in  common  also  they  use  fetishes  ;  but  those  of  Southern 
Guinea  are  the  more  superstitious  of  the  two  races.  At  the  Gaboon,  the 
Mpongwe  word  for  God  is  constantly  upon  the  lips  of  the  people,  but  profanely, 
rather  than  with  reverence.  They  think  of  God  as  like  themselves  —  possessing 
much  the  same  traits  of  character,  good  and  bad,  but  in  a  higher  degree.  Next 
to  him,  in  the  government  of  the  world,  the  Mpongwe  people  are  said  to  place 
two  spirits,  the  one  gentle  and  good,  the  other  evil ;  and  next  to  these,  two 
classes  of  spirits,  the  worship  of  whom  is  most  prominent  in  the  superstitious 
practices  of  the  country.  Both  classes  are  spirits  of  dead  men,  one  being  those 
of  the  ancestors  of  the  people,  and  the  other  those  of  strangers  ;  but  whether 
they  are  good  or  bad,  to  be  loved  or  hated,  courted  or  avoided,  the  people 
cannot  tell.  These  are  the  spirits  by  which  men  are  supposed  to  be  possessed, 
and  the  ceremonies  used  to  deHver  them  from  their  power  are  very  many. 
Sick  persons,  and  especially  those  afflicted  with  nervous  diseases,  are  consid- 
ered as  thus  possessed. 

The  worship  of  ancestors  is  mentioned  as  a  marked  characteristic  of  the 
religious  system  of  Southern  Guinea.  Fetishes  are  much  used,  and  for  many 
purposes.  The  fetish  is  a  kind  of  idol,  supposed  to  be  the  residence  of  a 
spirit,  or  to  possess  a  magic  power ;  is  either  pubhc  or  private,  —  the  fetish 
of  a  community,  a  family,  or  an  individual,  —  and  may  be  a  natural  or  an 
artificial  object,  animal,  vegetable,  or  mineral.  Thus  fetishism  is  one  of  the 
lowest  forms  of  idolatry.  The  belief  in  witchcraft,  and  the  execution  of 
persons  charged  with  having  occasioned  the  death  of  others  by  its  influence, 
are  fearful  evils. 

THE   MISSION  —  ITS   COAIMENCEMENT. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Board  in  1825,  a  resolution  was 
passed,  authorizing  the  Prudential  Committee  "  to  admit  the  descendants  of 
Africa  into  the  Foreign  Mission  School,  [at  Cornwall,  Conn.,]  with  a  view  to 
their  preparation  for  missionary  labors  on  the  coast  of  Africa  ;  "  and  at  the  same 
time  it  was  recommended  to  the  Committee  to  establish  a  mission  in  Africa  as 
soon  as  they  should  find  this  practicable,  and  be  able  to  make  the  requisite 
preparations.  Keeping  this  object  in  mind,  the  Committee  from  time  to  time 
instituted  inquiries  in  reference  to  the  western,  northern,  and  eastern  coasts 
of  that  continent ;  but  the  way  did  not  appear  open  for  commencing  a  mission 
until  the  year  1833.  On  the  28th  of  November  of  that  year,  llev.  John  Leigh- 
ton  Wilson  and  Mr.  Stephen  11.  Wyncoop  sailed  from  Baltimore,  on  what 
was  rightly  supposed  to  be  the  somewhat  ])erilous  enterprise  of  exploring  the 
ground.  They  went  in  a  vessel  sent  by  the  ^Maryland  Colonization  Society, 
touched  at  Monrovia  in  .January,  1834,  and  thence  proceeded  to  Cape  Palmas. 
Having  visited  several  places,  and  gathered  much  information,  they  left  the 
coast  in  March,  and  arrived  at  New  York,  on  their  return,  April  13. 

As  the  result  of  their  inquiries,  Ca])e  Palmas,  a  headland  on  the  Guinea 
coast,  in  latitude  4°  22"  north,  was  fixed  upon  as  the  place  for  a  mission.  The 
agent  of  the  Maryland  Colonization  Society  had  purchased  a  small  territory 
there,  and  a  settlement  was  commencing  under  favorable  circumstances.  Mr. 
Wilson  sailed  again  from  New  York  on  the  7th  of  November,  1834,  accompa- 


28  THE    GABOON   MISSION. 

nied  now  by  his  wife  and  a  colored  female  teacher.  They  reached  Cape  Palmas 
in  the  latter  part  of  December,  and  commenced  their  work,  hoping  —  as  the 
Board  at  home  hoped — that  from  that  point  missionary  stations  might  soon  be 
spread  abroad,  not  only  among  the  maritime  tribes,  but  toward  the  interior 
of  a  continent  so  much  needing  the  light  of  Christianity. 

A  re-enforcement  —  Rev.  David  White  and  wife,  and  Mr.  James,  a  colored 
printer  —  sailed  from  Baltimore,  October  31,  1836,  and  reached  the  field  De- 
cember 25 ;  but  within  a  few  weeks  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  were  both  removed 
by  death.  The  people  around  Cape  Palmas  were  now  desirous  of  receiving 
missionaries.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  enjoyed  good  health,  were  most  happy  in 
their  work,  considered  the  field  one  of  much  promise,  and  seemed  only  to  need 
associates.  In  July,  1839,  Rev.  Alexander  E.  Wilson,  M.  D.,  and  wife,  sailed 
from  New  York  to  join  the  mission,  reached  Cape  Palmas  October  4,  and  had 
the  acclimating  fever  lightly;  but  on  the  13th  of  October,  1841,  Dr.  Wilson 
fell  a  victim  to  an  epidemic  dysentery.  Rev.  William  Walker  and  wife  and 
Rev.  Benjamin  Griswold  sailed  from  Boston,  as  a  third  re-enforcement,  De- 
cember 6,  1841,  and  arrived  at  Cape  Palmas  February  3,  1842.  IVIrs.  Walker 
died  on  the  3d  of  May  following. 

REMOVAL   TO   THE   GABOON. 

The  mission  had  now  been  continued  for  seven  years,  most  of  the  time  under 
circumstances  of  encouragement.  Mr.  Wilson  says,  respecting  it,  in  his 
"  Western  Africa,"  "  Dui-ing  that  time,  seven  stations  and  out-stations  were 
formed,  at  each  of  which  a  day  school  was  established  and  stated  preaching 
was  commenced.  A  church  was  organized  at  the  first  and  principal  station, 
which,  at  one  time,  embraced  more  than  thirty  members,  of  whom  more  than 
four  fifths  were  natives  ;  a  large  boarding-school  for  both  sexes  was  kept  up 
for  more  than  six  years  ;  the  language  was  reduced  to  writing,  a  grammar  and 
a  dictionary,  in  part,  were  published  in  it,  and  the  Gospels  of  Matthew  and 
Mark,  the  Life  of  Chiist,  and  various  other  rehgious  books  were  translated  into 
it,  for  the  use  of  those  who  had  been  taught  to  read." 

But  it  had  never  been  the  intention  of  the  Prudential  Committee  to  make 
Cape  Palmas,  for  any  length  of  time,  the  principal  seat  of  missionary  eff"ort  in 
Western  Africa.  It  was  a  colonial  settlement ;  the  leading  objects  of  the  col- 
ony, with  reference  to  the  natives,  were  not  the  same  as  those  of  the  mission  ; 
frequent  collisions  with  the  colonists  kept  the  minds  of  the  natives  disturbed 
and  excited ;  the  native  teachers  and  pupils  in  the  mission  schools,  though 
from  tribes  ov.ing  no  allegiance  to  the  colonial  government,  were  by  the  laws 
made  subject  to  military  duty ;  and,  as  a  body,  the  colonists  seemed  to  regard 
the  missionaries  with  jealousy  and  ill  will.  For  these  and  other  reasons,  it 
was  thought  the  time  had  come  when  another  position  should  be  sought ;  and 
on  the  17th  of  May,  1842,  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Griswold  sailed  from  Cape 
Palmas,  to  visit,  specially.  Cape  Lahu  and  the  Gaboon  River,  and  ascertain  how 
far  those  places,  or  either  of  them,  might  be  suitable  for  missionary  stations. 

They  touched  at  several  other  places  on  the  coast,  as  well  as  Cape  Lahu,  and 
reached  the  Gaboon  June  22.  Here  they  found  "  a  noble  river,  about  fourteen 
miles  wide,  navigable  for  about  thirty  miles,  [it  is  found  to  be  navigable  seventy 
miles,  to  the  Island  of  Nengenenge,]  and  for  boats,  on  either  of  its  two  princi- 


REMOVAL  TO  THE  GABOON.  29 

pal  branches,  much  further ;  considerable  trade  m  ivory,  beeswax,  boxwood, 
and  ebony  ; "  a  country  "  not  so  densely  populated  as  that  about  Cape  Palmas 
or  Cape  Lahu,"  but  with  a  people  "  a  good  deal  more  advanced  in  civilization 
than  any  natives  "  they  "had  before  seen,  or  expected  to  see,  on  the  western 
coast  of  Africa,"  and  who  professed  to  desire  instruction.  Among  them  the 
brethren  would  not  be  on  the  ground  of  any  other  missionary  society,  and  the 
situation  appeared  favorable  for  securing  access  to  interior  tribes.  There  was 
a  good  landing,  and  the  situation  promised  to  be  at  least  as  favorable  in  respect 
to  health,  as  other  positions  on  the  coast.  A  site  was  therefore  selected  for 
commencing  operations,  on  rising  ground,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Gaboon, 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  river's  bank,  and  eight  miles  from  its  mouth,  near 
what  was  called  King  Glass's  town.  ( Since  1845  the  station  has  been  known 
as  Baraka.)  Mr.  Wilson  remained  to  prepare  a  house,  while  Mr.  Griswold 
returned  to  Cape  Palmas  for  other  members  of  the  mission. 

The  country  along  the  northern  bank  of  the  river  is  high,  undulating,  and 
some  portions  of  it  very  beautiful.  But  a  very  small  part  of  it  is  under  culti- 
vation. The  Mpongwe  people,  found  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  though  for- 
merly more  numerous,  were  not  supposed  to  number  at  this  time  more  than 
about  6000  ;  but  two  other  tribes  —  the  Shekanis  and  Bakeles  —  had  come  down 
from  the  interior,  and  were  residing  to  some  extent  among  the  Mpongwes, 
making  the  whole  population  on  the  river,  within  thirty  miles  of  its  mouth, 
perhaps  25,000.  The  Bakeles,  mostly  residing  further  from  the  coast,  are 
supposed  to  number,  in  all,  not  less  than  100,000.  Still  another  people,  the 
Pangwes,  were  soon  found  to  be  approaching  the  coast,  of  whom  Mr.  Wilson 
says,  they  are,  "  in  some  respects,  a  very  remarkable  people.  Among  sav- 
ages I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  met  men  of  nobler  or  more  imposing  bearing." 
They  have  now  established  several  large  villages  on  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Gaboon,  and  "  these  represent  themselves  as  but  a  handful  compared  with 
those  who  are  to  follow."  Thus  one  wave  after  another  of  people  from  the 
interior  —  Mpongwes,  Shekanis,  Bakeles,  Pangwes  • —  seems  to  approach  the 
coast,  and  gradually  dwindle  and  disappear  before  the  succeeding  wave. 

A  school  was  opened  in  July.  Most  of  the  chiefs  in  the  vicinit}'  were  very 
soon  visited  by  Mr.  ^Vilson,  and  seemed  interested  in  the  mission,  promising 
to  send  their  sons  to  the  school,  or  requesting  that  one  might  be  established 
in  their  own  towns  Mr.  Walker  and  Mrs.  A.  E.  Wilson  reached  the  Gaboon 
December  1,  and  Mr.  Griswold  on  the  18th  of  January,  1843.  Mrs.  J.  L. 
Wilson  was  then  on  a  visit  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James 
remained  for  a  time  in  charge  of  the  mission  premises  and  schools  at  Fair 
Hope;  but  in  January,  1844,  they  removed  to  the  Gaboon.  Several  native 
members  of  the  church  at  Cape  Palmas  also  removed,  to  aid,  as  school  teachers, 
in  the  new  field ;  and  the  scliools  at  (^ape  Palmas,  or  a  part  of  them,  were 
transferred  to  American  Episcopal  missionaries. 

In  May,  1843,  there  were  already  three  schools,  with  between  fifty  and  sixty 
pupils,  at  the  Gaboon,  and  other  towns  were  earnestly  importuning  for  teach- 
ers- Sabbath  worship  was  held  at  the  station,  and  at  three  other  places  near 
by,  where  the  people  assembled  in  good  numbers. 

Three  French  ships  of  war  entered  the  river  in  February,  1843,  and  an 
attempt  was  made  to  purchase  territory.  This  was  at  first  unsuccessful ;  but 
not  long  after,  by  deception  and  the  fre3  use  of  brandy,  signatures  were 


30 


THE   GABOON    MISSION. 


obtained  to  a  document  under  which  French  officials  claimed  and  took  posses- 
sion of  land  including  King  Glass's  town  ;  and  the  Gaboon  has  ever  since 
been  held  by  them  as  a  naval  station.  The  general  influence  of  the  French 
has  at  times  been  most  unhappy  ;  a  papal  mission  Avas  soon  commenced,  and 
has  been  continued ;  but  the  missionaries  of  the  Board  have  not  been  much 
molested  in  their  work,  and  the  relations  between  them  and  the  French  officers 
have  often  been  of  a  very  friendly  character. 

The  following  table  presents  the  names  of  those  who  have  joined   the  mis- 
sion since  1843,  with  the  time  of  their  sailing,  return,  or  death  :  — 


Names. 


Sailed  for  the 
Gaboon. 


Rev.  John  M.Campbell, IJan.  1,  ISW. 

Rev.  Albert  Bushnell, I 

Mrs.  Stocker,  (marr'd  to  Mr.  Bushnell  M'ch, '4.5,)        "         " 

Mrs.  Walker, j  Sept.  10,  1840. 

Rev.  Ira  M.  Preston, '  June  14,  1848. 

Mrs.  Jane  S.  Preston, |        "  " 

Rev.  William  T.  AVhcclor I        "  " 

Rev.  Jacob  Best, '  Nov.  3,  1849. 

Dr.  Henry  A.  Ford, June  20,  1850. 

Rev.  Rolliu  Porter, March  25, 1851. 

Mrs.  Porter, >'  " 

Mrs.  Catharine  H.  Walker, Oct.  2,  1S5I. 

Rev.  E.  J.  Pierce, Nov.  .30,  1853. 

Mrs.  Susan  Pierce, 

Rev.  Hubert  P.  Herrick, 

Mrs.  Julia  Herrick, 

Miss  Olivia  Smith,  afterward  Mrs.  Ford,     .   .   .  !        "         " 

Mrs.  Lueinda  J.  Bushnell, j  Dec.  10,  1853. 

Mrs.  Gertrude  Best, \        "         " 

Rev.  Henry  M.  Adams, [  Sept.  29,  1S54. 

Rev.  Andrew  D.  Jack, I  Oct.  6,  1857. 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Jack, |      "         " 

Miss  Jane  A.  Van  Allen, "         " 

Rev.  Monis  L.  St.  John,  M.  I)., |  Sept.  27,  1859. 

Mrs.  Sarah  A.  St.  John, ; 

Rev.  Walter  H.  Clark,* "  " 

Miss  Helen  W.  Green, :  April  11,  1863 


Died. 


April  19,  1844. 

Feb.  25,  1850. 
April  23, 1848. 


Feb.  2,  1S58. 
July  6,  1852. 
July  IC,  1852. 


Feb.  24, 1855. 
Dec.  20,  1857. 


Aug.  13,  1850. 


Returned. 


1849. 
1861. 


1859. 


lS5fi. 
1855. 

ISGl. 

1859. 
1859. 
1862. 
1861. 
1861. 

18(14. 


*  Joined  the  Presbyterian  Mission  at  Corisco  in  1801. 


It  will  be  seen  that  the  only  individuals  who  have  joined  the  mission  since 
its  removal  to  the  Gaboon,  and  still  remain  connected  with  it  and  on  the 
ground,  are  Mr.  Bushnell  and  his  present  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Preston,  and 
the  present  Mrs.  Walker.  Of  those  who  removed  from  Cape  Palmas,  Mr. 
Griswold  died  July  14,  1844,  and  Mrs.  Griswold,  formerly  Mrs.  Alexander  E. 
Wilson,  early  in  1849  ;  Mr.  James,  the  colored  printer,  left  the  mission, 
in  1846,  to  take  charge  of  a  school  in  I.iberia;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Wilson, 
after  eighteen  years  of  service  in  Africa,  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1852, 
and  Mr.  Wilson  became  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Missions. 

The  mission  has  continued  to  have  free  access  to  the  Mpongwe  people,  has 
labored  also  much  among  the  Bakeles,  and  has  at  various  times  made  efforts 
to  extend  its  influence,  and  occupy  stations  toward  the  interior.  In  1849 
there  were  reported  three  stations  —  at  Baraka,   among  ths  Tlpongwes  ;  at 


ATTEMPTS   TO    REACH   THE   INTERIOR.  31 

Olandebenk,  twenty-five  miles  further  up  the  river,  among  Bakeles ;  and  at 
Nengenenge,  an  island  near  the  junction  of  the  Nkama  and  Bak^e  Rivers, 
upper  branches  of  the  Gaboon,  sixty  or  seventy  miles  from  Baraka,  on  the 
borders  of  Bakeles  and  the  Shekanis.  The  brethren  still  had  their  eye  directed 
to  the  Pangwes,  but  the  difficulties  in  attempting  to  advance  from  the  coast 
have  been  found  to  be  great.  Tliere  are  no  roads  ;  beyond  navigable  rivers 
there  is  found  only  a  narrow  pathway  through  the  densest  forests ;  there  are 
no  caravans  of  traders.  The  timidity  of  the  coast  people,  who  might  be  guides, 
the  jealousy  and  treachery  of  all  the  natives,  wars,  ebullitions  of  savage  pas- 
sion, and  the  want  of  any  established  government  which  could  protect,  present 
constant  obstacles.  In  1854,  Messrs.  Walker  and  Preston  made  an  exploration 
of  the  River  Nazareth,  which  enters  the  ocean  sixty  or  seventy  miles  south  of 
the  Gaboon,  hoping  to  find  a  favorable  opening  for  missionary  labor  there ;  but 
the  result  was  a  conviction  that  it  was  inexpedient  to  commence  a  station  in 
that  region.     The  population  was  sparse,  and  the  climate  unpropitious. 

In  June,  1855,  it  was  resolved  that  Messrs.  Preston,  Herrick,  and  Adams 
should  commence  the  study  of  the  Pangwe  language,  and  cstoblish  themselves 
among  that  people  as  soon  as  possible.  Mr.  Herrick,  however,  was  obliged  to 
leave  the  field  in  July.  Messrs.  Preston  and  Adams  commenced  labor  among 
the  Pangwe  towns,  above  Nengenenge,  still  looking  toward  the  interior,  and 
longing  to  go  further  ;  but  in  August,  1856,  ]Mr.  Adams  Avas  removed  by  death, 
and  labors  among  that  people  were  suspended.  Two  or  three  years  later,  the 
migration  of  the  people  from  the  vicinity,  and  other  causes,  led  to  the  aban- 
donment of  the  Olandebenk  station;  and  since  1861  Nengenenge  has  been 
occupied  only  by  a  native  helper. 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  American  Board  for  1858  states,  "With  the 
Prudential  Committee  it  has  ever  been  a  leading  idea,  in  the  Gaboon  mission, 
to  reach  the  interior,  at  some  point  above  the  peculiar  fever  influences,  and 

beyond  the  tangled  forests   of  the  coast  regions Wlien,  under  the 

guidance  of  God's  good  providence,  tlie  mission  shall  reach  such  a  point, 
where  it  can  make  a  home  and  a  centre,  and  there  gather  converts  and  educate 
native  preachers,  to  go  forth  with  the  AVord  of  Life  in  all  directions,  then  will 
its  grand  idea  be  realized,  and  it  will  become  one  of  the  more  promising  and 
interesting  missions  under  the  care  of  the  Board." 

In  view  of  the  many  difficulties  found  in  efforts  thus  to  reach  the  interior, 
the  want  of  marked  success,  the  occupation  of  the  Gaboon  by  the  French,  and 
their  claim  to  the  right  of  control,  various  inquiries  had  been  addressed  to  the 
missionaries,  to  elicit  their  views  as  to  the  course  which  should  be  pursued ; 
and  in  January,  1859,  a  free  conference  was  hold,  at  the  Missionary  House, 
with  three  of  the  missionaries  then  in  the  United  States,  Messrs.  Walker, 
Preston,  and  Pierce.  These  brethren,  as  well  as  other  members  of  the  mis- 
sion, felt  that,  on  the  whole,  no  better  location  for  tlieir  efforts  could  be  found 
in  Western  Africa  ;  that  difRculties  and  discouragements  were  no  greater  than 
they  had  ever  been,  while  there  were  some  new  souixes  of  encouragement ; 
and  that  labors  should  by  all  means  be  continued  at  the  Gaboon. 

At  that  time  there  were  only  twelve  members  of  the  one  church  at  Baraka- 
In  all,  nearly  forty  had  been  connected  with  it ;  but  ten  of  these  had  returned 
to  Cape  Palmas,  about  the  same  number  had  been  excommiuiicated,  and  five 
had  died.     The  temptations  to  which  numbers  are  exposed,  in  connection  with 


32  THE  GABOON   MISSION. 

the  allurements  of  trade  with  foreigners,  and  the  customs  of  the  countiT, 
especially  slavery  and  polygamy,  are  very  great.  Since  then,  though  the  mis- 
sion has  been  reduced  in  the  number  of  laborers,  there  has  been  more  of 
religious  progress,  —  more  experience  of  spiritual  influence,  —  than  ever 
before.  During  the  year  1859,  six  members  Avere  added  to  the  church  by  pro- 
fession. In  1860  there  was  decided  religious  interest,  and  ten  or  Iwelve  young 
men,  in  a  class  instructed  by  Mr.  Bushnell,  indulged  the  hope  tha't  they  had 
been  born  again.  In  1862,  eighteen  persons  were  received  to  the  church,  and 
in  1863,  nine,  all  on  profession  of  their  faith.  Several  have  been  received  more 
recently,  and  at  the  latest  dates  there  were  a  number  of  inquirers.  A  new, 
substantial,  and  pleasant  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1862,  mostly  at  the 
expense  of  foreigners  residing  at  the  Gaboon.  There  are  two  schools  at  Ba- 
raka,  one  for  boys  and  one  for  girls,  in  both  of  which  most  of  the  pupils  are 
boarded  on  the  mission  premises.  The  great  object  in  these  schools  has  ever 
been  to  raise  up  native  helpers  for  the  missionary  work  —  preachers,  teachers, 
and  their  wives.  There  were,  in  1863,  some  young  men  studying  with  the 
professed  purpose  of  preparing  to  preich  the  gospel,  but  the  "allurements  of 
trade  "  have  drawn  them  away  ;  and  the  system  of  polygamy,  and  other  cus- 
toms of  the  people  in  respect  to  matriage,  act,  says  Mr.  Walker,  "  as  mildew 
and  blight  on  all  our  hopes  for  the  females  of  these  Unds." 

The  general  conduct  of  members  of  the  church  is  now  reported  to  be  as 
correct  as  could  reasonably  be  expected ;  but  "  the  great  difficulty  of  finding 
among  the  members  those  who  are  willing  to  go  and  preach  to  others  that 
gospel  which  has  been  found  so  precious  to  their  own  souls,"  is  still  "the  most 
discouraging  feature  of  the  work." 

The  brethren  now  at  the  Gaboon  have  been  long  connected  with  the  mission, 
laboring  with  a  faith,  a  love  for  souls,  and  a  patience  and  cheerfulness  of  hope, 
which  will  be  had  in  remembrance  before  God,  and  entitle  them  to  an  interest 
in  the  warmest  sympathies  and  the  most  earnest  prayers  of  Christians  at  home. 
Mr.  Walker  reached  Africa  in  1842,  Mr.  Bushnell  in  1844,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Preston  in  1848,  Mrs.  Walker  in  1851,  and  Mrs.  Bushnell  in  1854.  Respect- 
ing the  results  of  effort  in  this  field,  Mr.  Wilson  stated,  several  years  ago, 
"  When  the  missionaries  first  arrived  at  the  Gaboon,  the  people  were  immured 
in  the  profoundest  heathenism.  They  had  no  Sabbath,  no  sanctuary,  no  Bible, 
and  had  scarcely  heard  of  the  name  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  Now,  the 
Sabbath  is  known,  and  outwardly  observed,  by  a  large  proportion  of  the  peo- 
ple in  the  vicinity  of  the  older  stations  ;  the  Sabbath  bell  brings  together  a 
goodly  assembly  of  orderly  Avorshipers ;  more  than  one  hundred  youths  have 
received  a  Christian  education,  some  of  whom  are  employed  in  promoting  the 
cause  of  religion  and  education ;  two  dialects  have  been  reduced  to  writing, 
and  the  third  is  being  studied  out.  In  the  first,  the  Gospels  of  Matthew  and 
John  have  been  translated  and  published,  as  Avell  as  other  religious  books. 
To  all  of  which  it  may  be  added,  that  many  thousands  of  immortal  beings, 
in  this  region  of  country,  have  acquired  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  gospel  to 
be  saved." 

Since  these  statements  were  made.  Exodus,  Proverbs,  and  the  Acts  have  also 
been  printed  in  the  Mpongwe,  and  Matthew,  a  few  Psalms,  and  a  reading-book 
have  been  prepared  in  Dikele,  the  language  of  the  Bakelcs.  There  is  a  partial 
vocabulary  of  the  PangTe  language. 


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